DIGITAL LIFE

Social networks deepen user distrust on the internet

In the CIGI-Ipsos Global Survey, conducted with Internet users around the world, social media companies appear as one of the main targets of the distrust of Internet users, surpassed only by cybercrime. Platforms like Facebook or Twitter were cited by 75% of respondents as being at the root of their lack of trust on the internet.
This and other findings were released as part of the 2019 CIGI-Ipsos Global Survey on Internet Security and Trust, conducted by Ipsos for the Center for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), in partnership with the Internet Society (ISOC) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). In its fifth edition, the CIGI-Ipsos Global Survey is one of the largest and most comprehensive security and trust studies on the internet, involving more than 25,000 users from more than 20 countries around the world.
The biggest source of user mistrust is cybercriminals, reported by 81% of users, while 62% said that lack of online security is also a key factor for their lack of confidence.
For Fen Osler Hampson, a CIGI member, "this year's research not only underscores the fragility of the Internet but also the growing discomfort of Internet users with social networks and the power these companies have over their daily lives."
Regarding the effects of this mistrust, 49% of respondents said they started to disclose less personal information online, 40% said they were more careful in protecting their device and 39% said they were using the internet more selectively. On the other hand, only 19% refer to increased use of encryption and 12% of tools such as Tor (The Onion Router) or VPNs to protect themselves online. M. F.