Attitudes towards Social Networking Security

Social Networking - UK -

Attitudes Towards Social Network Security

Key points

●              It’s evident that users are becoming increasingly switched on to security issues, although there are still gaps which social networks need to educate around.

●              Women are the most security conscious, which reflects a more careful approach to surfing online in general.

●              Younger internet users are the least cautious, reflecting the importance of social networks’ moves to build in automated security measures.

●              Bebo and LinkedIn are the least likely to keep profile information to a minimum: Bebo because users are more likely to be younger, LinkedIn because users need to include details to network effectively.

Mintel asked internet users:

“What are your attitudes towards the security and use of social networks?”

Greater awareness of security issues, but there are still gaps

FIGURE 43: Trends in attitudes towards security and use of social networks, December 2008-September 2009

	Dec-08	Sep-09	% point change
Base: internet users aged 16+ who use social networks	1,600	1,563	Dec '08-Sep '09
	%	%
I keep personal information on my profile to a minimum	36	75	+39
With friend requests, I am very careful as to who I add or reject	28	54	+26
I used it more when I first joined, but not so much now	27	20	-7
I never pay attention to adverts on social networks	27	45	+18
I have a restricted profile so only friends can see my details	23	42	+19
I worry about children being exposed to dangerous people	19	28	+9
I’ve added people I don’t know as online friends	9	10	+1
I worry that my boss/employer could check up on me	5	7	+2
I don’t think about personal security/identity theft	3	3	-
I put a lot of information about myself on my profile	3	3	-
I’m constantly checking for new messages or posts	17	13	-4
None of these	16	6	-10

SOURCE: GMI/Mintel

●              As with any form of online activity, there is a certain risk of being targeted by those that have malicious intent – from identity theft to the spread of malicious code (eg to subvert users’ computers into a ‘zombie’ computer network). This is perhaps more pronounced on social networks, which rely on internet users sharing personal information (from personal profile, to updates about where they are and what they are doing).

●              Even the most basic of information can put users at risk, for example a person’s date of birth can be a security question on many internet applications available today. Some financial institutions have also expressed concern, most recently Legal & General, which launched a Digital Criminal Report in August 2009. According to a spokesman “burglars are using social networks to identify likely targets… they gain confidence by learning… when they are likely to be out of the house”.

●              However, it’s clear from the research that the majority of users (75%) are now keeping personal information about themselves to a minimum. This is partly as a result of media ‘horror stories’ previously mentioned, but also due to increasing user sophistication – social networks gained in popularity very quickly, and the initial enthusiasm that came with logging onto profiles for the first time perhaps pushed concerns surrounding personal security into the background.

●              One potential security issue is the lower usage of restricted profiles (employed by 42% of respondents). But this is likely to continue on an upward trend: In July 2009 Facebook’s chief privacy officer, Chris Kelly, announced a new standardised privacy setting for all the different applications and features throughout the site. This was because of the “the compounding effect of more and more settings (which) has made controlling privacy … too complicated.”

Key Analysis: Facebook’s move is also partly motivated by the rising popularity of third party applications on the site. In August 2009, for example, security firm Trend Micro announced that the site had a handful of rogue applications designed to steal log-in credentials and spam friends. While Facebook is always alert to potential security threats, reducing the amount of personal information users can share with applications acts as another layer of security.

Given that Facebook plans to launch its own micro payments system (announced in June 2009, and designed to encourage more e-commerce activity on the site), it’s very likely that further security enhancements will be enabled. Perhaps to reassure internet users that might be put off spending through Facebook because of security concerns, Facebook could also work closely with well-known brands in online security, such as Norton or McAfee.

Attitudes towards security by gender

FIGURE 44: Attitudes towards security and use of social networks, by gender, September 2009

Base: 1,563 internet users aged 16+ who use social networks

	Male	Female	% point difference
	%	%
I keep personal information on my profile to a minimum	71	79	+8
With friend requests, I am very careful as to who I add or reject	46	62	+16
I never pay attention to adverts on social networks	42	48	+6
I have a restricted profile so only friends can see my details	35	49	+14
I worry about children being exposed to dangerous people	24	33	+9
I used it more when I first joined, but not so much now	20	21	+1
I’m constantly checking for new messages or posts	13	13	-
I’ve added people I don’t know as online friends	12	8	-4

SOURCE: GMI/Mintel

●              Women as a whole are much more likely to be security conscious on social networking sites, in particular around friend requests and using restricted profiles.

Key Analysis: Social networks are very similar to dating websites in the sense that users maintain a profile, and have the potential to interact with people they don’t know. In this respect, perhaps women are using security measures to avoid amorous attention from strangers they might not know. Women’s need for greater security is also reflected in research from Mintel’s Online Dating – UK, April 2009 report. Here, women were more likely to associate dating sites with the word ‘unsafe’ (32% compared with 20% of men).

At the same time, greater use of security measures is also due to the fact that women are more likely to be regular users of social networks (54% of women compared to 46% of men, according to research in the Regular And Occasional Users Of Social Networks section). Since usage revolves around the sharing of personal information, it is perhaps understandable that those who are more likely to be active contributors pay greater attention to ensuring that whatever they post remains within their personal network.

Attitudes towards security by age

●              Younger age groups are the least likely to keep personal information to a minimum, and the most likely to say that they constantly check for new messages or posts. Both these attitudes decline the older the age bracket – partly this is a generational thing: older respondents might be more reticent to share personal information online due to less experience of the web.

●              There’s also the fact that older respondents are more likely to have come across (either directly or via friends) a computer virus or identity theft. This is reinforced by research from Mintel’s Internet Quarterly – UK, June 2009. Over-35s are much more likely to scan their computer for threats, install updates and take care to avoid suspect sites.

Key Analysis: However, this is also partly due to the fact that older respondents are less likely to be regular users of social networks (14% compared to 28% of 16-24-year-olds) according to research featured earlier in the report. If in the future older web users get equally as addicted, could they make the same mistakes as their younger counterparts?

Attitudes towards security by social network used

FIGURE 46: Most popular usage of different social networks, by attitudes towards security and use of social networks, September 2009

Base: 1,563 internet users aged 16+ who use social networks

	All	I keep personal information on my profile to a minimum	With friend requests, I am very careful as to who I add or reject	I never pay attention to adverts on social networks	I have a restricted profile so only friends can see my details	I worry about children being exposed to dangerous people
Sample size:	1,563	1,173	847	707	661	443
	%	%	%	%	%	%
Facebook	82	82	91	85	92	84
Friends Reunited	49	49	47	47	44	57
MySpace	30	28	29	29	30	29
Twitter	23	22	22	22	26	24
Bebo	19	17	19	16	19	21
LinkedIn	12	10	10	10	12	11
Other	13	11	10	9	9	12

SOURCE: GMI/Mintel

FIGURE 47: Next most popular usage of different social networks, by attitudes towards security and use of social networks, September 2009

Base: 1,563 internet users aged 16+ who use social networks

	All	I used it more when I first joined, but not so much now	I’m constantly checking for new messages or posts	I’ve added people I don’t know as online friends	I worry that my boss/employer could check up on me	None of these*
Sample size:	1,563	318	206	152	106	87
	%	%	%	%	%	%
Facebook	82	81	96	90	93	53
Friends Reunited	49	51	41	45	43	51
MySpace	30	31	46	56	52	28
Twitter	23	23	35	35	38	15
Bebo	19	22	27	32	30	14
LinkedIn	12	12	12	11	19	6
Other	13	12	12	19	18	18

* small sub-sample (75-100)

SOURCE: GMI/Mintel

●              Bebo and LinkedIn users are the least likely to say that they keep the information on their profile to a minimum. This is partly due to the fact that LinkedIn is focused around business networking, so the ‘personal information’ is more likely to include an individual’s business experience and skills. The explanation for Bebo users could be due to the fact that this site caters specifically for younger internet users that might not be as security conscious.

Key Analysis: Perhaps because of this, Bebo has a long track record for security – in January 2008 Computing Which? Magazine scored the social network highly for encouraging “responsible networking” by enabling users to easily block unwanted friends and restrict who can see their information.

This is important to reassure parents too: for example, the research also shows that nearly 30% of respondents worry about children being exposed to ‘dangerous people’ (up by nearly 10 percentage points since December 2008). This is because the majority of social networking happens at home, giving parents the scope to restrict usage of sites should they feel their children are at risk.

Key points

●              It’s evident that users are becoming increasingly switched on to security issues, although there are still gaps which social networks need to educate around.

●              Women are the most security conscious, which reflects a more careful approach to surfing online in general.

●              Younger internet users are the least cautious, reflecting the importance of social networks’ moves to build in automated security measures.

●              Bebo and LinkedIn are the least likely to keep profile information to a minimum: Bebo because users are more likely to be younger, LinkedIn because users need to include details to network effectively.

Mintel asked internet users:

“What are your attitudes towards the security and use of social networks?”

Greater awareness of security issues, but there are still gaps

FIGURE 43: Trends in attitudes towards security and use of social networks, December 2008-September 2009

	Dec-08	Sep-09	% point change
Base: internet users aged 16+ who use social networks	1,600	1,563	Dec '08-Sep '09
	%	%
I keep personal information on my profile to a minimum	36	75	+39
With friend requests, I am very careful as to who I add or reject	28	54	+26
I used it more when I first joined, but not so much now	27	20	-7
I never pay attention to adverts on social networks	27	45	+18
I have a restricted profile so only friends can see my details	23	42	+19
I worry about children being exposed to dangerous people	19	28	+9
I’ve added people I don’t know as online friends	9	10	+1
I worry that my boss/employer could check up on me	5	7	+2
I don’t think about personal security/identity theft	3	3	-
I put a lot of information about myself on my profile	3	3	-
I’m constantly checking for new messages or posts	17	13	-4
None of these	16	6	-10

SOURCE: GMI/Mintel

●              As with any form of online activity, there is a certain risk of being targeted by those that have malicious intent – from identity theft to the spread of malicious code (eg to subvert users’ computers into a ‘zombie’ computer network). This is perhaps more pronounced on social networks, which rely on internet users sharing personal information (from personal profile, to updates about where they are and what they are doing).

●              Even the most basic of information can put users at risk, for example a person’s date of birth can be a security question on many internet applications available today. Some financial institutions have also expressed concern, most recently Legal & General, which launched a Digital Criminal Report in August 2009. According to a spokesman “burglars are using social networks to identify likely targets… they gain confidence by learning… when they are likely to be out of the house”.

●              However, it’s clear from the research that the majority of users (75%) are now keeping personal information about themselves to a minimum. This is partly as a result of media ‘horror stories’ previously mentioned, but also due to increasing user sophistication – social networks gained in popularity very quickly, and the initial enthusiasm that came with logging onto profiles for the first time perhaps pushed concerns surrounding personal security into the background.

●              One potential security issue is the lower usage of restricted profiles (employed by 42% of respondents). But this is likely to continue on an upward trend: In July 2009 Facebook’s chief privacy officer, Chris Kelly, announced a new standardised privacy setting for all the different applications and features throughout the site. This was because of the “the compounding effect of more and more settings (which) has made controlling privacy … too complicated.”

Key Analysis: Facebook’s move is also partly motivated by the rising popularity of third party applications on the site. In August 2009, for example, security firm Trend Micro announced that the site had a handful of rogue applications designed to steal log-in credentials and spam friends. While Facebook is always alert to potential security threats, reducing the amount of personal information users can share with applications acts as another layer of security.

Given that Facebook plans to launch its own micro payments system (announced in June 2009, and designed to encourage more e-commerce activity on the site), it’s very likely that further security enhancements will be enabled. Perhaps to reassure internet users that might be put off spending through Facebook because of security concerns, Facebook could also work closely with well-known brands in online security, such as Norton or McAfee.

Attitudes towards security by gender

FIGURE 44: Attitudes towards security and use of social networks, by gender, September 2009

Base: 1,563 internet users aged 16+ who use social networks

	Male	Female	% point difference
	%	%
I keep personal information on my profile to a minimum	71	79	+8
With friend requests, I am very careful as to who I add or reject	46	62	+16
I never pay attention to adverts on social networks	42	48	+6
I have a restricted profile so only friends can see my details	35	49	+14
I worry about children being exposed to dangerous people	24	33	+9
I used it more when I first joined, but not so much now	20	21	+1
I’m constantly checking for new messages or posts	13	13	-
I’ve added people I don’t know as online friends	12	8	-4

SOURCE: GMI/Mintel

●              Women as a whole are much more likely to be security conscious on social networking sites, in particular around friend requests and using restricted profiles.

Key Analysis: Social networks are very similar to dating websites in the sense that users maintain a profile, and have the potential to interact with people they don’t know. In this respect, perhaps women are using security measures to avoid amorous attention from strangers they might not know. Women’s need for greater security is also reflected in research from Mintel’s Online Dating – UK, April 2009 report. Here, women were more likely to associate dating sites with the word ‘unsafe’ (32% compared with 20% of men).

At the same time, greater use of security measures is also due to the fact that women are more likely to be regular users of social networks (54% of women compared to 46% of men, according to research in the Regular And Occasional Users Of Social Networks section). Since usage revolves around the sharing of personal information, it is perhaps understandable that those who are more likely to be active contributors pay greater attention to ensuring that whatever they post remains within their personal network.

Attitudes towards security by age

FIGURE 45: Attitudes towards security and use of social networks, by age, September 2009

Base: 1,563 internet users aged 16+ who use social networks

SOURCE: GMI/Mintel

●              Younger age groups are the least likely to keep personal information to a minimum, and the most likely to say that they constantly check for new messages or posts. Both these attitudes decline the older the age bracket – partly this is a generational thing: older respondents might be more reticent to share personal information online due to less experience of the web.

●              There’s also the fact that older respondents are more likely to have come across (either directly or via friends) a computer virus or identity theft. This is reinforced by research from Mintel’s Internet Quarterly – UK, June 2009. Over-35s are much more likely to scan their computer for threats, install updates and take care to avoid suspect sites.

Key Analysis: However, this is also partly due to the fact that older respondents are less likely to be regular users of social networks (14% compared to 28% of 16-24-year-olds) according to research featured earlier in the report. If in the future older web users get equally as addicted, could they make the same mistakes as their younger counterparts?

Attitudes towards security by social network used

FIGURE 46: Most popular usage of different social networks, by attitudes towards security and use of social networks, September 2009

Base: 1,563 internet users aged 16+ who use social networks

	All	I keep personal information on my profile to a minimum	With friend requests, I am very careful as to who I add or reject	I never pay attention to adverts on social networks	I have a restricted profile so only friends can see my details	I worry about children being exposed to dangerous people
Sample size:	1,563	1,173	847	707	661	443
	%	%	%	%	%	%
Facebook	82	82	91	85	92	84
Friends Reunited	49	49	47	47	44	57
MySpace	30	28	29	29	30	29
Twitter	23	22	22	22	26	24
Bebo	19	17	19	16	19	21
LinkedIn	12	10	10	10	12	11
Other	13	11	10	9	9	12

SOURCE: GMI/Mintel

FIGURE 47: Next most popular usage of different social networks, by attitudes towards security and use of social networks, September 2009

Base: 1,563 internet users aged 16+ who use social networks

	All	I used it more when I first joined, but not so much now	I’m constantly checking for new messages or posts	I’ve added people I don’t know as online friends	I worry that my boss/employer could check up on me	None of these*
Sample size:	1,563	318	206	152	106	87
	%	%	%	%	%	%
Facebook	82	81	96	90	93	53
Friends Reunited	49	51	41	45	43	51
MySpace	30	31	46	56	52	28
Twitter	23	23	35	35	38	15
Bebo	19	22	27	32	30	14
LinkedIn	12	12	12	11	19	6
Other	13	12	12	19	18	18

* small sub-sample (75-100)

SOURCE: GMI/Mintel

●              Bebo and LinkedIn users are the least likely to say that they keep the information on their profile to a minimum. This is partly due to the fact that LinkedIn is focused around business networking, so the ‘personal information’ is more likely to include an individual’s business experience and skills. The explanation for Bebo users could be due to the fact that this site caters specifically for younger internet users that might not be as security conscious.

Key Analysis: Perhaps because of this, Bebo has a long track record for security – in January 2008 Computing Which? Magazine scored the social network highly for encouraging “responsible networking” by enabling users to easily block unwanted friends and restrict who can see their information.

This is important to reassure parents too: for example, the research also shows that nearly 30% of respondents worry about children being exposed to ‘dangerous people’ (up by nearly 10 percentage points since December 2008). This is because the majority of social networking happens at home, giving parents the scope to restrict usage of sites should they feel their children are at risk.

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