Survey Suggests We're Not As Cyber-Security Conscious As We Think
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)--How many of us have downloaded a mobile app without reading the privacy agreement? Apparently a lot. A new survey out from a San Francisco-based mobile security company says we're not as cyber-security and privacy conscious as we like to think we are.
Think about your PIN or passcode. Do you use public Wi-Fi to pay bills? Despite public outrage over high-profile data hacks and breaches, we seem to be pretty cavalier about how we use our smartphones.
San Francisco mobile security company Lookout surveyed smartphone users and found some startling results if you consider yourself conscious about security.
"We found that 44 percent of smartphone owners felt that apps are mishandling or misusing their private information, but still, 56 percent of them have downloaded an app without reading the permissions and one in three said they would provide an app with more data about themselves if it means they could use the apps to make their lives easier," said Rebecca Payne, a marketing manager at Lookout.
She recommends using public Wi-Fi to just window shop since security on many of these systems is minimal, wait until you get home or get on your own data network if you want to do anything personal.
"People are generally more aware of security issues on their computers and don't think of their phones as these mini-computers that are in their pockets," she said.
