People in Spain give fake information to protect their data online

YOUTHS in Spain protect their privacy by giving fake personal data online, says a study.

The report, which analyses the level of privacy on the internet and was created by the multinational company Symantec, shows that 57 per cent of young people in Spain provide fake data on online platforms to protect their privacy, while older users tend to give real personal information.

Miguel Suarez, representative of Symantec in Spain and Portugal, explained that the southern European countries are more wary when providing personal information than those from northern countries. The study reveals that in Spain, 78 per cent of users are really concerned about online privacy, as opposed to 57 per cent of European users.

The report was created through an online survey carried out in seven countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain and the UK).

Mr Suarez said that 73 per cent of people in Spain and 66 per cent of people in other European countries wished to improve the protection of their personal data. Also, 66 per cent of users in Spain would be willing to pay an amount as high as or higher than their phone bills for data protection guarantees.

In Spain, 87 per cent of users are aware of their data’s value, with 34 per cent pricing it at more than €10,000 and believing that companies should provide them with some sort of recompense for the use they make of their personal information.

Mr Suarez explained that users give this information as much importance as the quality of other products, as 69 per cent of users claimed to have had problems related to viruses, online frauds or the fraudulent use of their emails.

He also advised online companies to be as transparent and honest as possible, informing their users about the way their data is being handled, as in Europe companies are not forced to provide this information by law.

Southern European interviewees considered that the government should be more involved in the protection of the population’s data, as opposed to people in northern countries, who put the main responsibility on private companies.