An Internet Security Paradox? Despite Badware's Reach, Americans Report Widespread...

An Internet Security Paradox? Despite Badware's Reach, Americans Report
Widespread Confidence in Their Safety Online

StopBadware.org's Maxim Weinstein Will Testify on Educating Users About the
Dangers of "Phishing" at Federal Trade Commission April 1

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nearly 90 percent of
Americans say they feel safe online despite the rising tide of spyware,
phishing and other badware threatening Internet users, according to a new poll
sponsored by StopBadware.org, the consumer protection initiative aimed at
combating dangerous software.

The poll, conducted by Zogby International, finds that 88 percent of Internet
users feel safe when using personal computers to access the Internet.
Furthermore, 84 percent agree that they have the information and tools needed
to make good decisions to protect their privacy and security online.

"What we have here is an Internet security paradox," said Maxim Weinstein, who
manages the StopBadware.org team at Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for
Internet & Society. "Americans see themselves as safe online, even as we see
an ongoing trend of organized criminal elements using the Internet to target
unsuspecting users." Weinstein will testify at the Federal Trade Commission on
April 1 about how to better educate users about the dangers of phishing, a
deceptive practice responsible for $2.1 billion in identity theft damages last
year, according to Consumer Reports.

The Internet security paradox transcends geography, age, politics, and gender.
Across virtually all socio-economic lines, the vast majority of Americans
agree that they feel safe online and able to protect their privacy and
security. Zogby polled 6,678 Americans in February, with a 1.2 percent margin
of error.

Young Americans are particularly confident about their online presence. Nearly
50 percent under 30 express being very safe online, compared to just 25
percent of those 65 years and older who shared the level of agreement. "Young
people who have grown up in a digital society treat the Internet as part of
their world, not as a separate entity with different rules from the physical
world," said John Palfrey, executive director of the Berkman Center and
co-author of the forthcoming Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation
of Digital Natives. "To digital natives, asking if they feel safe online is
akin to asking if they feel safe in their own community."

Why the Internet security paradox? As the number of Americans using the
Internet increases each year, so does their sense of trust with their online
presence. Seven in 10 Americans are Internet users, up from just 15 percent in
1995. Sixty percent say they are not worried about how much information is
available about them online, and 61 percent of adult users do not feel
compelled to limit their digital footprint, found the Pew Internet and
American Life Project.

With rising Internet usage and trust comes a false sense of security, as
threats remain widespread. Thousands of U.S. Internet users have money stolen
from their personal accounts each month, with overall damages totaling $2.1
billion last year, according to the Consumer Reports National Research Center
State of the Net Survey. The same survey found that spyware prompted 850,000
U.S. households to replace their computers and inflicted damages totaling $1.7
billion in 2007.

Just 24 percent of Americans have taken adequate steps to protect themselves
by installing a firewall and updating anti-virus and anti-spyware software on
a regular basis, McAfee and the National Cyber Security Alliance recently
found.

On April 1, at the FTC, StopBadware.org's Maxim Weinstein will join other
business, government and technology leaders to discuss strategies that should
be used to educate consumers about the dangers of phishing and other types of
badware. The event is open to the public.

When: 9 - 1 pm, Tuesday, April 1 at the FTC Conference Center located at 601
New Jersey Ave. NW, Washington, D.C., 20580.

About StopBadware.org
StopBadware.org is a partnership between top academic institutions, technology
industry leaders, and volunteers committed to protecting Internet users from
threats to their privacy and security caused by bad software. StopBadware.org
is led by Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet & Society and
Oxford University's Oxford Internet Institute. Consumer Reports WebWatch
serves as an unpaid special advisor. The initiative is supported by Google,
PayPal, Lenovo, AOL, Trend Micro, and VeriSign. For more information, please
visit http://www.stopbadware.org.

SOURCE StopBadware.org

Katie Hallen, +1-202-463-0013 x213, for StopBadware.org