Attitudes to Cybersafety and Online Privacy in the Middle East

September 2014

Topicality

Are user concerns universal?

US data 2014

UK consumers 2013

World Economic Forum Report

• 5,400 adult Internet users • 13 countries

“Findings from this study show that a global Internet culture has

emerged as users across countries often share similar viewpoints and habits related to these vital

matters pertaining to the Internet.”

What we did - and how we did it

Areas of study

1. Usage of ICT and the Internet in the region

2. Attitudes towards the Internet

3. Concerns about safety in cyberspace

4. Trust in different online actors

5. Behaviors online

Methodology

• Online survey of existing Internet users.

• ictQATAR worked with the Oxford Internet Institute in collaboration with Cornell University.

• Fieldwork by comScore and Toluna.

Countries covered

Algeria Egypt

Tunisia

Morocco

Iraq Jordan

Yemen

Iran

Saudi Arabia

Oman

Qatar

Kuwait

Bahrain

UAE

MENA sample = 2,793 * Results from 14 countries

Research sample

• Global sample = 8,442* Results from 44 countries

• Total Sample = 11,225* Covers 58 countries

5 KEY DIFFERENCES MENA VS GLOBAL

1. MENA users are less likely to shop or bank online.

2. Higher perception in MENA that “the Internet is making things better for people like me.” (49% vs. 39%)

3. Higher desire for Government role re harmful content.

4. Less worried about safety of personal online content.

5. Strongly against data repurposing.

MENA VS Global

3 KEY DIFFERENCESGCC VS NORTH AFRICA

1. GCC: more likely to access the Internet on the move.

2. GCC: greater access to technologies like tablets (70% vs. 33%) and gaming machines (62% vs. 36%).

3. North Africa: stronger sense that personal data put online is kept safe (22% vs. 15%).

GCC VS North Africa

1. TECHNOLOGY AND THE INTERNET

MENA households full of technology

VoIP is highly prevalent

The region has some of the highest take-up of video and voice calls over the Internet.

2. ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE INTERNET

Generally, attitudes were…

• Positive: Belief that the Internet brings benefits to people.

• Safeness: Divided views on how safe the Internet is.

• Government: Higher demand for Government to regulate, censor and protect Internet users from harmful content.

Higher belief in MENA that the Internet is “making things better”

Harmful content: Protecting Children

“Discriminatory” or “Racist” content

3. LEVELS OF CONCERN

Areas of concern

High concerns about:

• Being Hacked • Misled by false information• Reputation damage

Lower concerns about:

• Being monitored online • Data collection

Concerns around data repurposing

4. TRUST IN ONLINE PLAYERS

Trust in Different Online Players

Higher trust in…

Entities who are “offline first”

• Mobile and telephone providers

• Government authorities

• Banks and financial institutions

• Health and medical providers

Lower trust in…

Entities that are “online first”

• Social networking websites

• Online search engines

• Online websites and newspapers

• Online marketers and advertisers

Trust Index

5. BEHAVIOR

Inconsistency in claimed behaviors and actions

Behaviors and Attitudes are not always aligned.

Examples of potentially reckless behavior in MENA:

• More likely: to open attachments from people they don’t know.

• Less likely: to scan their computers/devices for viruses.

• More likely: to “Friend” people they don’t know .

SAY

they are safety-conscious

ACT

safety-conscious

Research takeaways

Recap: 5 top-level MENA findings

1. Broad equivalency - access to technology compared to global averages.

2. MENA Internet users more likely to agree that “the Internet is making things better for people like me” compared to the world average.

3. They are also more supportive of the idea that Government authorities should block harmful content than users elsewhere.

4. Amongst different online players; banks and financial institutions in the region enjoy the highest levels of trust.

5. MENA Internet users are among the most likely to open attachments, documents and emails from senders they do not know.

What happens next?

These issues are not going to go away…

New tech = new challenges

7 out of 10 fear security implications of Internet of Things

2014 study of 1,800 consumers between the ages of 20 and 50 who claim to be tech savvy in 11 countries, including the United States,

Australia, China, Germany, India, and the United Kingdom.

Wearable Tech

Drones

Some start-ups allow you to sell your data and they then sell it on to companies.

Privacy entrepreneurship: Sell personal data for $8 a month

New solutions to aid privacy

Blackphone: Encrypted telephony and messaging, protected contact info, data storage encryption option.

Confide: Chat app

allows self-destructive

messages and screenshot protection.

Taking matters into your own hands

Safespace.qa Training

Workshops

Some ways we highlight issues

Ongoing Rassed research projects

Stay tuned…– How Children in Qatar use ICT– Understanding emerging social media platforms – Exploring online shopping usage in Qatar

QUESTIONS?Thank you for listening

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Email: rassed@ict.gov.qa