Privacy v. Intimacy challenges
Bangalore, February 13 2018: Most people say their relationships are more important than any small sacrifice of privacy. When love blossoms, individual digital lives and lines can get blurred and online boundaries compromised. But when relationships sour, unhappy partnerships can fuel privacy fears. Overstepping boundaries can often lead to arguments.
These are findings of global research by Internet Security company Kaspersky Lab, which suggest that the role of privacy and transparency in a relationship is changing -- fast.
The study found that eight in ten people believe that couples should have private space, both on and offline, and 70% value their relationships more than their privacy. Half of partners share their device PINs and passwords with each other -- a finding that is similar to the study by McAfee.
Sharing leaves our digital footprints exposed. Every third Internet user surveyed admits to peeking on their partner online to see what they get up to and this figure rises to almost half among those who describe their relationships as unstable or unsure. A third have argued after a partner viewed something which the other didn’t want to share.
Says Andrei Mochola, Head of Consumer Business at Kaspersky Lab. “With so many partners using each other’s devices or snooping on their loved ones, privacy boundaries can go out of the window. This can thwart any Valentine’s Day or birthday surprises and prevent people from keeping things secret from their partner. It is important to get the balance right between a transparent, honest relationship and keeping your digital life secure."
Net security products provide tools like File Shredder feature in Kaspersky Total Security which permanently deletes files to ensure they can’t be restored. Other Privacy Protection features can hide messages and calls on your Android device, and to keep your website visits from prying eyes. The Private Browsing feature blocks website tracking and any attempts at data collection.