Irish internet users are increasingly restricting access to their private data online, with younger people more likely to bar advertisers from tracking them online than their older counterparts, new data from the Central Statistics Office has found.
The CSO’s Household Internet Security 2023 survey found 61 per cent have restricted access to their geographic location, a rise of two points on 2021, while 64 per cent do not allow their personal information to be used for advertising, up from 58 per cent in 2021.
That reluctance was more pronounced among younger people, with three quarters of those aged 25 to 34 refusing to allow use of their personal data for ads, compared with half of those in the 65 to 74 age group.
More than a quarter of people said they use software to limit how they can be tracked online, but only 39 per cent changed internet settings to limit cookies, and less than half said they ready any privacy policies provided when they were handing over personal details.
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People were similarly cautious around social networking, with 60 per cent limiting access to their profile and content.
When it comes to information found online, almost two-thirds said they had come across content they were doubtful about or considered false, but only 58 per cent of those people said they would check sources or discuss it further.
This is the final publication relating to the annual Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Household Survey, which was carried out in the first three quarters of 2023.
“Our everyday lives are becoming far more digital. The pandemic had resulted in greater use of ICT and the internet, with consequent opportunities for more personal information and data to be available online,” said Maureen Delamere, Statistician in the social analysis division.
“As our everyday lives are becoming far more digital, we are exposed to a very large amount of information, some of which is true, some of which is clearly untrue and some of which requires further evaluation and investigation... the main way people checked the truthfulness of online content was to check sources and information, with 93 per cent of such people choosing this method of checking the content integrity.”
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