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'Familiarity key for assessing online content danger - study'
Nov 06, 2009 (DMEUROPE via COMTEX) --
A new study by Duckfoot Research for UK regulator Ofcom shows that most
people value the internet highly and regard it as something that has
changed their lives. The main purpose of the study was to examine how
people assess the veracity, trustworthiness, independence and balance
of online content and services. A secondary purpose was to explore how
their online behaviour might be influenced by perceptions about the
presence or absence of online regulation. Respondents expressed a
number of concerns about the internet, mainly for their own and their
family's online safety. These included computer viruses, being ripped
off, keeping their children safe online, as well as concerns about
inadvertently doing something potentially illegal such as downloading
copyrighted music from a file-sharing site. Most respondents said they
had purchased and installed virus software. However, most showed low
levels of understanding and conscious use of the tools provided by ISPs
or search engines to make the internet safer. The study found that the
perception of familiarity was the most important factor for consumers
when assessing the trustworthiness of online content. However, few
participants mentioned looking for a padlock symbol as a sign of
security when carrying out an online transaction. In terms of awareness
and understanding of regulation, most respondents did not think that
the internet was formally regulated. They understood and accepted that
there was no universal mechanism to protect them and that they had to
take personal responsibility when online.
Distributed for DMeurope.com via M2 Communications (www.m2.com)
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