Brussels, 07/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 8 February, the European Union is celebrating Safer Internet Day. The Safer Internet Day is part of a global drive to promote a safer internet for all users, in particular children and young people, and is organised by INSAFE, a European internet safety network co-funded by the European Commission. In connection with this event, Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, has published a selection of statistics concerning internet security. The data were collected from the survey on information and communication technologies (ICT) usage in households and by individuals in the EU27, mainly carried out in the second quarter of 2010.
According to Eurostat, almost one third of individuals (31%) who had used the internet in the 12 months prior to the survey reported that they had caught a virus or other computer infection resulting in loss of information or time during this period. The highest shares of internet users who caught a virus or other computer infection were found in Bulgaria (58%), Malta (50%), Slovakia (47%), Hungary (46%) and Italy (45%), and the lowest in Austria (14%), Ireland (15%), Finland (20%) and Germany (22%).
Among the individuals in the EU27 who had used the internet in the last 12 months, 4% reported that they had suffered from an abuse of personal information sent on the internet and/or other privacy violations in this period, with the highest shares in Bulgaria and Spain (both 7%), Italy and the Netherlands (both 6%). In the same period, 3% of internet users in the EU27 suffered financial loss due to phishing or pharming attacks or fraudulent payment card use, with the highest shares recorded in Latvia (8%), the United Kingdom (7%), Malta and Austria (both 5%). In 2010 in the EU27, a large majority of individuals (84%) who had used the internet in the last 12 months stated that they had used an IT security software or tool to protect their private computer and data. Among the member states, more than 90% of internet users in the Netherlands (96%), Luxembourg, Malta and Finland (all 91%) had used IT security software, while it was less than two-thirds in Latvia (62%), Romania (64%) and Estonia (65%).
In connection with the protection of minors, in 2010, 14% of individuals in the EU27 who had used the internet in the last 12 months and lived in a household with children had had parental control or web filtering software installed. This share was highest in Luxembourg and Slovenia (both 25%), followed by France (24%), Denmark, Austria, the United Kingdom (all 21%) and Finland (20%). Of the individuals in the EU27 who had used the internet in the last 12 months and lived in a household with children, 5% reported that they had experienced children accessing inappropriate websites or connecting with potentially dangerous persons while using a computer within the household. The highest shares were recorded in Italy (11%) and Latvia (9%). It should be noted that this indicator only represents the share of individuals who became aware of this problem and thus it may underestimate the real figure. (I.L./transl.fl)