47% users believe covering the webcam of digital devices maintains privacy: Kaspersky Survey

ISLAMABAD: Kaspersky’s latest study, ‘Excitement, Superstition, and Great Insecurity – How Global Consumers Engage with the Digital World,’ reveals some surprising perspectives on digital privacy.

The survey shows that 47% of respondents in the META region believe that covering their webcam is sufficient to protect their privacy. However, this method only offers limited protection, as it does not address the built-in microphone or prevent potential image interception when users activate their cameras.

Conversely, 42% of participants trust incognito modes to fully safeguard their online activities, which is a misconception since incognito mode does not guarantee complete anonymity.

Commissioned by Kaspersky in June 2024 and conducted by Arlington Research, the survey gathered insights from 10,000 respondents on their attitudes towards digital superstitions, AI, and digital immortality.

The findings reveal inconsistencies in users’ digital behaviors and attitudes toward privacy. For instance, while nearly half of the respondents are concerned that voice assistants may be constantly listening, leading a third to use airplane mode during private conversations, they also engage in risky behaviors.

Over half of the participants play online mini-games and share personal details with unreliable sources, often posting their results on social media and inadvertently sharing their data with others.

Additionally, 42% of users mistakenly believe that incognito mode provides complete online invisibility. Although incognito mode prevents the saving of browsing history and cookies, it does not ensure total anonymity.

Furthermore, 32% of users are willing to click on unfamiliar links in messengers, posing potential security risks.

Kaspersky’s Web-Content Analyst, Anna Larkina, emphasizes the importance of a well-informed approach to cybersecurity and digital privacy.

She advises against relying on unverified methods and suggests using robust security solutions for comprehensive protection. Key recommendations include using strong, unique passwords, storing them in password managers, downloading apps only from official sources, and avoiding suspicious links.