Bangalore, Feb 7 2018: Here's an amber sign: Though 89% Indians think privacy is important in a relationship, 84% also share their personal passwords and PINs with their partners. 39% indicate that they have/would allow their significant other to use their work device(s) (e.g. laptop, smartphone, work email).
These are findings from a n India-specific study by leading cybersecurity company, McAfee: “Three’s Company: Lovers, Friends and Devices,” that aims to understand the online behavior of people and how it affects their real-world relationships with friends and significant others. The study underscores the need for individuals to manage device usage during social interactions and calls for vigilance while sharing personal information.
Other findings:
Connected Devices > First Date
- 3 in 4 Indians (75%) indicated that they have had to compete for the attention of their date with their device.
- The constant device usage actions don’t halt after the first date. In fact, more than half (49%) of adults (between 21-40 years) indicated that it happened even more than twice.
Keep your devices close but your relationships even closer!
- Love is in the air, and so are our connected devices. 77% of the people in India think that the use of technology gets in the way of relationships today.
- 81% of the people in India indicate that they got into an argument with a friend, family member or significant other for being on their phone too much when they spend time together.
- 70% find it very (40%) or somewhat (30%) important to disclose their relationship on social media.
- Dating apps make it easy to make connections on the go. More than half (58%) think that dating apps/websites are more effective at helping people find a date than friends and family are.
All is Fair in Love and Tech
- While most couples say vows to their significant other at the altar, many consumers today are adapting this same level of commitment to their smartphones instead.
- 2 in 3 Indians (67%) in a relationship have felt that their significant other was more interested in their internet connected device than in them.
- When it comes to setting parameters around device usage, 32% of Indians say they do not set rules about device usage when together. Only about one in five (20%) claim that they set strict limitations about internet connect device use when with their significant other.
- Nearly half of Indians (45%) indicated that they have spied on their significant other’s social media accounts or connected devices.
Sharing is Caring!
Breaking down the 84% who share their personal passwords and PINs with their partners:
- Online shopping websites – 60%
- Social media accounts – 45%
- Streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, etc.) – 42%
- Personal email accounts – 41%
- Banking and financial services websites – 38%
- Work specific devices/accounts – 38%
Says Venkat Krishnapur, Vice President of Engineering and Managing Director, McAfee. “In today’s connected lifestyle, daily activities and interactions of consumers are powered by technology and apps. This insatiable dependency for technology can come at the price of sharing our personal information with the unknown. We need to be aware about the reality of oversharing and take corrective measures.”
Survey Methodology: In November 2017, McAfee commissioned MSI-ACI to conduct a survey of 600 adults (aged 18-55+). Respondents were individuals who use an internet-connected device on a daily basis and based in different cities across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.
