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Privacy concerns among internet users to impact e-commerce – UNCTAD

24 Apr 2017, 02:48 pm
Financial Nigeria
Privacy concerns among internet users to impact e-commerce – UNCTAD

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49 percent of the survey respondents said lack of trust is the main reason for avoiding e-commerce platforms.

An internet user

A new global survey has revealed that internet users are increasingly concerned about their online privacy, with 49 percent of respondents saying that lack of trust is the main reason for avoiding e-commerce platforms. The survey – which was released today during the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) E-commerce Week in Geneva –  shows that the top sources of concern for internet users worried about their privacy are cybercriminals (82 percent), internet companies (74 percent), and governments (65 percent).

The survey was conducted by Ipsos and the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), in collaboration with the UNCTAD and the Internet Society.

“The lifeblood of the internet is trust, and when that is damaged, the consequences for the digital economy are nearly irreparable,” said Fen Osler Hampson, the Director of CIGI’s Global Security & Politics programme. “The results of this global survey offer a glimpse into why policymakers should be concerned, and why there is a strong link between user trust and the health of e-commerce.”

According to the survey, lack of trust is most likely to keep people off e-commerce platforms in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, suggesting that the potential gains of e-commerce are not spread evenly around the globe.
 
The survey – tagged the 2017 CIGI-Ipsos Global Survey on Internet Security and Trust – also revealed great differences in e-commerce behaviour when it comes to how users are purchasing goods online. In China, India and Indonesia, for instance, more than 86 percent of respondents expect to make mobile payments on their smartphone in the next year, compared with less than 30 percent in France, Germany and Japan.
 
Even in the digital world, the survey showed that location still matters. Fifty-five percent of global respondents indicated that they prefer purchasing online goods and services made in their own country.

“The survey confirms the importance of having adequate consumer protection and data protection in place, areas where many developing countries are lagging behind,” said Shamika N. Sirimanne, Director of UNCTAD’s Division on Technology and Logistics. “More capacity-building is therefore urgently needed.”

The survey had a sample size of 24,225 internet users, who were polled by Ipsos between December 23rd, 2016, and March 21st, 2017. It was conducted in 24 countries: Nigeria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong (China), India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan, Poland, Republic of Korea, South Africa, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States.
 
“The findings of this year’s CIGI-Ipsos survey underscore the importance of taking action now to build stronger online trust by addressing users’ concerns and using technologies such as encryption to secure communications,” said Sally Wentworth, Vice President of Global Policy for the Internet Society.


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