2015 Intel Security Survey: 30% Sent Personal Photos to Others Via Mobile Devices & 50% Don’t Delete Personal Photos or Videos Sent to Others

2015 Intel Security Survey/Study: infographic

Last year’s Love, Relationships & Technology survey found Canadians also have potential privacy issues when it comes to their relationships. 47% of Canadians send or receive intimate content including videos, photos, emails and messages. 40% of Canadians share their passwords with their significant others and 35% of Canadian adults who password-protect their device use the same passcode across multiple devices. More Canadian findings from last year’s survey are available here:

With Valentine’s Day nearly upon us, we wanted to share some information from a recent Intel Security survey on how people interact with their significant others and how they protect their personal information.

The online survey, commissioned by Intel Security, was conducted by MSI International between January 29 and February 3, 2015.
The survey polled 2,507 adults ages 18-54 who are online and use Internet-connected devices in North America (US), Asia Pacific (Australia, Singapore), and Latin America (Brazil, Mexico).

A recent study from Intel Security found that well over ½ of us share our passwords with our significant others (from Facebook to our email to our mobile device) and about 30% of us also share our personal photos with others. And 50% of us don’t take care to delete any personal photos or videos we send to others.

So whether you are happily in love or searching for The One, here are a few things you need to watch out for this Valentine’s Day so you don’t get struck by a malicious “love” bug.

Valentine’s Day E-cards
You check your email and see that you have a Valentine’s Day e-card. You open it, thinking it’s from a friend or relative, but it’s actually from a cybercriminal and now you have a nice little V-Day gift—malware.

Personal Photos
It’s Valentine’s Day so it might be tempting to send your significant other a personal picture of yourself, but this could come back to haunt you in the future. Once the other person has the photo, it belongs to them, even after the relationship is over.

Too Good to Be True Deals
E-commerce sites love Valentine’s Day because they can sell all sorts of romantic gifts like flowers, jewelry, and chocolates. Cybercriminals know this and create fake sites, offering great deals, intended to capture your personal and financial information.

Fake Dating Profiles
Just like you shouldn’t “friend” someone on social media that you don’t know in real life, you must be careful when communicating with people on dating sites. Remember, you don’t know who is who on the Internet.

Don’t Get Bit By the Love Bug
By Robert Siciliano
https://blogs.mcafee.com/consumer/safe-valentines?lqmcat=Social:FB:WW:post:02102015:link:internal&utm_medium=spredfast&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=rs&utm_campaign=Consumer#sf7349782

Here are additional highlights of the new 2015 Intel Security study.

32% of U.S. respondents admitted that they know their significant other’s bank or credit card passwords, and more than a quarter of them don’t delete personal media after sharing them with the intended recipients.
Even so, 69% of all survey respondents (including those in the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, Singapore and Australia) say that they fear their personal content could one day be leaked or shared without their permission.
Main form of communication between significant others:
- 85% of U.S. respondents said they connect most frequently through phone calls, followed by text messaging (80%).
- Brazil (74%) and Singapore (82%) use WhatsApp the most. Mexico respondents use phone calls and WhatsApp equally (82%).
Knowing significant others’ passwords:
- In the U.S. (55%), Mexico (55%) and Brazil (76%) people know each other’s Facebook passwords the most out of any social network or portal. In the U.S., this is followed by personal email/computer (46%) and cell phone (45%).
- In the U.S., almost 1/3 (32%) of respondents claim to know their significant other’s bank or credit card portal/app password.
Personal content:
- More than ¼ (28%) of U.S. respondents do not delete personal media after sharing them with the intended recipient. In Australia, 36% of respondents do not delete this personal media.
- 69% of all survey respondents fear that their personal content could one day be leaked or shared without permission.
What’s on your device:
- 71% of survey respondents said that if significant others managed to access their mobile devices they would find personal text messages from family or friends. In the U.S., Mexico, Brazil and Singapore this was followed by personal photos of other people (42%, 51%, 45%, and 53%, respectively).

Intel Security’s Tips for Protecting Your Device and Reputation:

Think before sharing: Don’t share passwords with anyone, including significant others and family members. If you need to share it, create a unique code just for that account, and change it immediately if you suspect foul play.

Put a PIN on it: If you value the contents on your mobile device, be sure to include a PIN or passcode so if it becomes lost or stolen, people will not be able to access your information and publish it online. Use strong passwords that won’t be easily compromised (i.e. birthdays, a chronological list of numbers, etc.)

Definitely delete!: If you send personal messages, make sure to delete the content from your device and in the Cloud as soon as possible. It can save you from years of damage control for your reputation later on, both online and offline.

The Internet is forever: Once you share, post, Tweet, etc. your private information is available to the public and is out of your control, so be mindful of what you are sharing.

Please click here for more tips to help you stay safe.