RECAST - Very Few Europeans Verify Websites Requiring Personal Data For Safety - Eurostat

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th January, 2022) Only about one-third of European citizens verify the safety of a website requesting personal data before viewing it, the Eurostat agency said on Thursday.

As many as 73% of Europeans who used the internet in the three months before the survey managed access to their private information online.

"Only 36% (of these Internet users) checked that the website where they provided their personal data was secure," the agency said in a statement.

In addition, 53% of them blocked use of their data for advertising, and 40% limited access to their social media and online storage.

As many as 48% of users limited or rejected access to their geographical location, and 39% read privacy policy statements before giving out their private information, according to the agency.

The highest rates of people managing access to personal data online were recorded in Finland, the Netherlands (91% each), and Portugal (89%). The lowest were in Slovenia (61%), Poland (59%), and Romania (56%).

The survey focused on EU citizens ages 16-74.