Brussels, 08/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - 1 out of 4 internet users in the EU experienced security related problems in 2015, according to a new survey published the day before the Safer Internet Day (9 February 2016). Although this rate has fallen compared to those in 2010, it is still discouraging some people from making online purchases.
This survey was carried out by the European Union Statistical Office in the second quarter of 2015. It demonstrates that in the European Union, the proportion of internet users having experienced certain common security issues over the internet - such as viruses affecting devices, abuse of personal information, financial losses or children accessing inappropriate websites - stood at 25%. This figure is a European average, with the lowest proportion occurring in the Czech Republic (10%) and the highest proportion in Croatia (42%).
Slightly more than 1 internet user out of 5 (21%) in the EU caught online a virus or other computer infection resulting in loss of information or time. This is a fall of 10 percentage points compared to the rate for 2010. The only member state not to experience this decrease was Croatia, where the proportion of Internet users contracting the virus rose from 33 to 41% over a five-year period.
The Eurostat study illustrated that at an EU level, concerns about security discouraged 19% of Internet users making an online purchase, 18% of them using online banking services and 13% of users accessing the access via a Wi-Fi connection in a location other than their home. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)