Are you savvy over online security?

Online security

Do you consider your personal security when you use social networking sites such as Facebook? Would you consider yourself to be savvy over online security? Or would you say that your online security goes out of the window when it comes to social networking?

Well, it would appear that more people in the UK are more savvy when it comes to online security than they were previously. A new report by the media regulator Ofcom has found that people are more cautious about how much personal information they reveal on sites such as Facebook.

The twice-yearly report, a survey of the internet habits of 1824 people aged 16 and over, found that since 2007 users have become more savvy about online security and are now more reluctant to provide personal information online.

The report by Ofcom found that 80 percent of those surveyed who have a social networking website are likely to only allow friends or family to see it. This is a significant change in attitude compared to 2007 when just 48 percent of those surveyed took such steps.

More than two in five Scots also said they were happy entering their credit card details online. One in three web users said they prefer to check their bank balance online, compared to 22 percent in 2005.

Furthermore, 36 percent of Brits said they booked their holiday online and 47 percent used the web to find out more about an illness.

While four in five people also admitted to saving money in the past six months by shopping online, PC Advisor states.

Social networking profiles

Almost half of adult internet users in Scotland say they have set up a social networking profile compared with 46 percent in Wales, 44 percent in England and 31 percent in Northern Ireland.

However, about a quarter of internet users say they "lack confidence" in installing filtering software or security features.

The report found that the Scottish were the least likely to worry about entering personal details online with 50 percent "happy" to enter their home address details on theinternet, compared with 23 percent in Wales and Northern Ireland. More than 40 percent of Scottish adult internet users are also happy to enter credit card details.

When it comes to trust in media, just 31 percent of internet users believe web content to be "reliable and accurate". This compares to about 50 percent of adults that trust television and radio content. However, news sites are trusted by 58 percent of web users, the British paper The Guardian reports.

Adults in Scotland say they use the internet at home the most at 10.6 hours per week, with adults in England at 8.3 hours per week and those in Wales at 6.8 hours per week. Adults in Northern Ireland say they use theinternet at home the least at 6.5 hours per week.

Jodie Humphries

Jodie Humphries graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA Hons in Creative Writing in 2008. She has worked for GDS Publishing for the digital group since July 2009. She has previous experience with writing for the web, running her own website since April 2007.

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