You may have seen this post on Twitter:
So, what is this:
…single problem that we just can’t seem to solve[?]
The Washington Post headline was even more lurid: Why a staggering number of Americans have stopped using the Internet the way they used to.
The government post releasing the data was somewhat calmer: Lack of Trust in Internet Privacy and Security May Deter Economic and Other Online Activities by Rafi Goldberg.
Rafi writes:
Every day, billions of people around the world use the Internet to share ideas, conduct financial transactions, and keep in touch with family, friends, and colleagues. Users send and store personal medical data, business communications, and even intimate conversations over this global network. But for the Internet to grow and thrive, users must continue to trust that their personal information will be secure and their privacy protected.
NTIA’s analysis of recent data shows that Americans are increasingly concerned about online security and privacy at a time when data breaches, cybersecurity incidents, and controversies over the privacy of online services have become more prominent. These concerns are prompting some Americans to limit their online activity, according to data collected for NTIA in July 2015 by the U.S. Census Bureau. This survey included several privacy and security questions, which were asked of more than 41,000 households that reported having at least one Internet user.
Perhaps the most direct threat to maintaining consumer trust is negative personal experience. Nineteen percent of Internet-using households—representing nearly 19 million households—reported that they had been affected by an online security breach, identity theft, or similar malicious activity during the 12 months prior to the July 2015 survey. Security breaches appear to be more common among the most intensive Internet-using households. For example, while 9 percent of online households that used just one type of computing device (either a desktop, laptop, tablet, Internet-connected mobile phone, wearable device, or TV-connected device) reported security breaches, 31 percent of those using at least five different types of devices suffered this experience (see Figure 1).
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No real surprises in the report until you reach:
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NTIA’s initial analysis only scratches the surface of this important area, but it is clear that policymakers need to develop a better understanding of mistrust in the privacy and security of the Internet and the resulting chilling effects. In addition to being a problem of great concern to many Americans, privacy and security issues may reduce economic activity and hamper the free exchange of ideas online.
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I’m sorry, given that almost 1 out of every 5 households surveyed had suffered from an online security breach, what is there to “…better understand…” about their mistrust?
The Internet, their computers and other online devices, etc., are all insecure.
What seems to be the problem with acknowledging that fact?
It’s mis-leading for the Washington Post to wave it hands and say this is a …single problem that we just can’t seem to solve.
Online services and computers can be made less insecure, but no computer system is completely secure. (Not even the ones used by the NSA. Remember Snowden.)
Nor can computer systems be less insecure without some effort from users.
I know, I know, I blaming all those users who get hacked. Teaching users to protect themselves has some chance of a positive outcome. Wringing your hands over poor hacked users that someone should be protecting has none.
Educate yourself about basic computer security and be careful out there. The number of assholes on the Internet seems to multiply geometrically. Even leaving state actors to one side.