Are you one of those who has an anonymous account online?
Well, a recent survey conducted by global cybersecurity company Kaspersky has confirmed that you are not alone.
More than 3-in-10 users in Asia Pacific (APAC) admitted to having a social media profile without their real names, photos, and personally identifiable information (PII).
Among 1,240 respondents from the region, the “Digital Reputation” research shows that the power of anonymity is being used the most in Southeast Asia at 35% followed by South Asia at 28% and Australia at 20%.
Just to paint a clearer picture of these stats, here’s a breakdown of the findings by social media platform:
While this practice may be frowned upon at first glance, the survey results have revealed how this reality allows individuals to chase their passions and to harness free speech.
But at the same time, it also allows some to conduct malicious and harmful activities.
The quantified percent is that almost half (49%) of those surveyed stated that they use anonymous accounts to exercise their freedom of speech without affecting their reputation, while 48% wanted to indulge in their secret interests that they were not too keen on having their friends find out about.
Here are some other key findings from the survey:
- More than a quarter (34%) also use these accounts to be able to disagree with someone or a news online without using their real identity.
- 30% used an anonymous social media account for the fairly innocuous activity of sharing information about their favourite artists and interests.
- 22% of respondents were also engaged in online stalking.
The core of these findings is that consumers in APAC are increasingly becoming aware of the reputation they are building online and its importance to their real lives
With that, to help consumers in defending their online reputations, Kaspersky shared five important steps that we can all take to ensure that we are protected and secure online:
- Remember your digital reputation is also linked to your personal reputation. Everything that is posted on the internet remains on the internet, including harsh and radical judgments. These can lead to unpleasant explanations at the workplace or during hiring processes.
- To protect your digital reputation, it’s better to be more cautious than to reveal personal information about yourself, especially on social profiles. Never divulge too much, stick to basics and share only things that are necessary and needed. The more your share, the more appealing you are to an attacker who is looking to steal your personal data or even your identity.
- Delete accounts and data – we all have dozens of accounts, many of which are barely used or forgotten. Many of them persist and any one of them could leak your information.
- Preventing personal data abuse – if apps are asking for sensitive data, take a look at its privacy policy, which might openly state that your data will be passed to third-party companies. Don’t give apps more information than necessary – think carefully about what they genuinely need and what they can do without. Remember that any information you hand over to apps is unlikely to remain completely private.
Keep your personal information safe, people!
by Kyle Roshen Jacob
