DJYSRV

Threats drop Internet use

Web Threats Keep Users Away
October 26, 2005
By Matt Hines, eWeek

New research released by Consumer Reports WebWatch finds that U.S. Internet users are cutting back on the hours they spend online, shunning e-commerce and refusing to give out personal information as a result of the rising tide of Web-based crimes related to identity theft.

According to the WebWatch report, released Wednesday, 80 percent of all American Web surfers are at least somewhat concerned about the threat of identity theft posed by engaging in online activities.

As a result of those concerns, at least 30 percent of the 1,500 people interviewed for the survey said they have reduced the amount of time they access the Internet.

In addition to going online less frequently, 53 percent of the respondents told WebWatch that fears of ID theft have stopped them from giving out their personal information to Web sites and online marketers, while 25 percent said they are no longer purchasing items from e-commerce sites.

In a nod to related information security concerns, some 54 percent of the respondents who still buy items online said they now read Web sites' privacy policies before doing business with a company, and 29 percent said they have merely cut down on the amount of Web shopping they engage in.

New York-based WebWatch, a grant-funded project of the nonprofit Consumers Union, said that consumers have dramatically shifted their views of online activity over the last several years, becoming far more conservative about what constitutes safe online behavior.