Canadian internet users wary of security and privacy, report

One in 10 Canadians cite security as the primary challenge to the success of the internet – the single largest issue identified in a survey sponsored by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA). Another 3.3 percent believe that privacy is the major problem, and 1.3 percent are most concerned about viruses and spam. The majority of respondents – 40.1 percent – said they were unsure of any single challenge. Other prominent challenges included accessibility (9.7 percent), cost (7.1 percent), and content regulation (3.8 percent).

CIRA, the national organization that manages the .ca domain name registry, also asked respondents to name their greatest personal obstacle to internet use. Again, a large percentage (31.9) were unsure, while 4.3 percent cited spam and viruses, 2.7 percent named security, and 1.3 percent selected privacy.

Thirty-two percent of respondents said that access to information was the largest personal benefit, followed by the ability to stay in touch with people (16.8 percent). More than 14 percent could not name one dominant benefit.

CIRA said the ranking of security as the major challenge was consistent with other research it had completed.