One in four people store intimate photos or videos on their mobile devices.
A new survey conducted by AVG Technologies has found that many consumers are storing sensitive material on their smartphones or tablets. The study also found that a large majority of these users are not aware of security features that would allow them to delete the materials remotely if their devices were stolen.
The online survey questioned 5,107 smartphone users from the U.S., UK, France, Germany and Brazil during January 2013.
“This survey has clearly demonstrated that there is confusion in the minds of consumers about what is and isn’t safe or sensible to do with a mobile device,” J.R. Smith, CEO of AVG Technologies, told Reuters. “It is already limited the appeal of mobile shopping, banking and ticketing, and this is in turn hampering the industry’s efforts to drive new innovations and monetization methods. At the same time, millions of consumers are exposing themselves to risk of personal and professional embarrassment by storing sensitive images on their devices.”
Not everyone is playing fast and loose with their phones, though. The AVG survey found that only 38 percent were using their devices for online banking, and only 35 percent were using them for online shopping. Most users, almost 50 percent, deemed these activities less safe and less secure on a mobile device than on a PC. The study also found that only 36 percent would feel comfortable checking their finances on a smartphone, while 76 percent would be comfortable using a PC.
“It is time for the industry to wake up and start educating consumers about privacy and security,” Smith said. “If it does not, mainstream consumers will remain skeptical about mobile commerce, potentially wasting billions of dollars of investment into new features, and the manufacturers, networks and developers will face the wrath of wronged consumers when their digital privacy is compromised.”
