What mounting public concern about falling victim to cybercrime says about government and corporate efforts at cybercrime deterrence
Is the risk of becoming a victim of cybercrime increasing? Most people in North America and Europe think it is, based on the surveys that I’ve been looking at. Earlier this year the European Union published the results of its latest consumer survey on internet security in which 87% of internet users agreed that the risk of becoming a victim of cybercrime is increasing (see the Resources link below for details of EBS480: Special Eurobarometer 480: Europeans’ attitudes towards Internet security).
Facts and figures
ESET recorded similar concern in a North American survey that asked the same question in roughly the same timeframe. In the US, 87% of respondents agreed that the risk of becoming a victim of cybercrime was increasing. Canadian respondents were slightly less pessimistic at 83% (sample sizes: 2,500 and 1,000 respectively.)
These findings have to be worrying news for companies whose business models rely on public trust in the internet. They should also concern politicians and the government, including law enforcement agencies. The survey findings strongly suggest that government efforts at cybercrime deterrence have not given the public much cause for hope.
Clearly, fear of crimes like identity theft and misgivings about data privacy loom large in many countries and some people are reducing or adjusting their use of online technology as a result. The following graph charts responses to the question: Has concern about security issues made you change the way you use the Internet in any of the following ways? (The EU data are from EBS480 fieldwork in October and November, 2018. US and Canada data are from ..
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