TECH

39% of Europeans would accept to sell their personal data
Controversies over private data sharing and the danger of exposed accounts, going to the wrong hands, do not deter potential users from selling their information. According to a Kaspersky Lab investigation, one in five individuals (18%) would make their privacy available, sharing their data to receive something free in return. More than a third, about 39% would accept to receive money in exchange for giving total access of their personal data to strangers.
The security expert says that this share-sharing behavior can lead to long-term damage. The company gives the example of how very old Twitter messages of personalities like James Gunn and Kevin Hart have had repercussions in the present; namely the dismissal of the director of Disney, and the decision of the actor to move away of the presentation of the Oscars derived to the controversies, damaging its reputations and careers.
To the same extent, social networks, such as Facebook and Linkedin, are increasingly used by potential employers to check the reputation of their employees and candidates, as well as behaviors that disrespect the company. According to statistics from Career Builder, reported by Kaspersky, 57% of employers have already found content on social networks that were responsible for not recruiting candidates and that one-third (34%) have already chastised or dismissed a collaborator because of online content.
The security expert found that a quarter (26%) of users already saw their personal data being accessed by someone without their consent (a figure that increases to 31% in the ages of 16 to 24). Kaspersky claims that 36% of these users ended up feeling stressed, rising to 42% in users between the ages of 16 and 24. One in five respondents (21%) reported losing money, while a quarter (25%) became annoyed by spam and unwanted advertisements.
"These consequences happen despite many individuals taking certain measures to keep their information secret or to block access to personal and confidential data," Kaspersky said in the statement. M. F.