San Jose, Calif., Dec. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A nationwide study conducted by Avira has found that 59% of Americans have proactively downloaded an app to help protect their security and privacy on their mobile phone. It also found that 15% of Americans take no precautionary measures to protect their mobile data, however this figure is down by more than half from a similar study conducted in 2014. The full report can be found at: https://www.avira.com/en/mobile-security-report
Key Report Findings:
- 59% of Americans download antivirus, password manager, VPN or scam call blockers
- Only 15% of Americans take no precautionary measures to protect their phone, down from 34% in 2014.
- Over 81% of smartphone users think it’s very important to take security measures on their mobile phones.
- General mobile security concerns have increased for 28% of respondents since COVID-19
- Concerns about mobile scams have increased for over a third (34%) of respondents since the onset of the pandemic.
The findings show that, as technology advances, so does the public’s willingness to further secure their devices, both via third-party software and built-in phone features.
Differences Between Android and iOS Users
While smartphone users overall, which today make up 81% of the US population, have become more privacy and security conscious, Android users are slightly less likely to take steps to protect their security and privacy than iOS ones: 18% of Android users do not use any tools or precautionary measures vs. 13% of iOS users.
COVID-19 Impact and the American Robocall
COVID-19 has also had an impact on the way Americans view mobile security. Over 34% of Americans reported an increased concern in mobile phone scams since the pandemic began.
A further concern for mobile users across the US has been the rapid increase in robocalls. In 2019 there were 58.5 billion robocalls made across the US, a 22% increase from 2018. This year has seen somewhat of an anomaly in the continuous rise, however, there have still been 46.5 billion robocalls made in 2020 through November, according to YouMail, US-based provider of call protection services. In November, approximately 40% of all robocalls were scams and a further 23% were like unwanted or potentially illegal telemarketing calls.
About Avira
Avira provides a consumer-focused portfolio of security and privacy solutions for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS, home networks, and smart devices (IoT). All Avira features are available as licensed SDKs and APIs. Working together, Avira and its partners protect more than 500 million devices globally. Avira solutions consistently achieve best-in-class results from independent security tests.
Avira is headquartered near Lake Constance, Germany, with additional offices in the EU, the United States, and Asia. For more information about Avira visit www.avira.com.
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