Social Impact Survey 2013 covers "Data Security" across the Telco Industry in Austria

• More than half of all Austrians worry about personal data – and counting
• Although Austrians consider it important to have firewalls and virus protection, only 36% are willing to pay for them
• Date of birth and pets as passwords: 94% of respondents use passwords
• High level of risk taking with apps – one quarter would use unsafe apps

Vienna, August 21, 2013 - The results of this year’s Social Impact Survey 2013*, carried out on behalf of the Telekom Austria Group subsidiary A1, show that more than one third of Austrians give a great deal of thought to data protection and more than half worry about personal data that has been placed on the Net.

“As a leading communications provider in CEE, we believe we have a duty to take account of social developments in our day to day work. Data protection is an important topic and one that also generates a great deal of uncertainty. We therefore have an obligation to inform our customers about data protection and data security – the greater their knowledge, the more confidently they will be able to deal with them. We must also raise data protection and data security as issues within the framework of digital media use and not just provide information about technical possibilities and risks,” said Hannes Ametsreiter, CEO of the Telekom Austria Group, commenting on this complex issue.

Unsecured Data or Insecure Users?
Only 12% of those surveyed believe their data is safe in the Internet and only 1% considers it to be very safe. Data protection is an explosive topic and worries about personal data are nothing new. Since 2009 GfK Austria has registered an increasing trend in this regard. Following the latest events surrounding NSA and PRISM, several of the questions from the Social Impact Survey were sent out again as comparison samples. The results show that Austrians’ skepticism about data security is now even greater than it was before.

According to 70% of those surveyed a lack of virus protection poses the greatest threat to data – but that is something we can control ourselves. Half of those surveyed also regard online shopping as a danger and one third believes that mobile phone apps are a risk.

Two Thirds Protect their Computer – More than One Third Only with Free Products
67% of those polled use a firewall to protect their computer or laptop, 57% a free virus protection program and 58% integrated firewalls or virus protection programs. Yet although Austrians consider such security solutions to be important, only 36% opt for a paid version.


The Best Protected Piece of Equipment is the PC, followed by the Mobile Phone
The vast majority of those polled (94%) use passwords to protect their personal data - 72% of PC/laptop users and 67% of mobile phone/smartphone users. However, there is still plenty of room for improvement. Almost one in two users has just one password for several accounts and almost one in five never changes their passwords. Half of all Austrians do at least use very secure passwords with special characters and have memorized their password. Approximately one third of those surveyed still make a note of their password and use passwords that can be easily hacked. Among users who go online less than once a day, 45% still use their date of birth or the names of their pets, etc. as their password.

Mobile communications providers are important sources of information on “security and mobile phones”: Half of those surveyed (49%) cited their own provider as a valuable source of information. Almost as many people (55%) said they sought information on the Internet, while just less than one third (30%) sought advice in the media.

Data Guards – Tablet Users Especially Cautious
Personal data are stored mainly on computers or laptops (63%), slightly more than half of those surveyed (56%) use an external hard drive. USB sticks are also among the Top 3 data carriers, with 45%. And 35% of those surveyed said they still printed their most important data out on paper. Generally speaking, some 40% of Austrians make digital back-up copies of documents such as contracts, driving licenses or their passport.

Tablet users are especially cautious: 58% make digital copies and 70% store their data on an external hard drive. Among mobile phone users who had lost their handset in the past (11%), 45% had protected their data with a password but 45% had also failed to make a back-up copy, i.e. the data was lost.

App for a Risk – Users Don’t Want to Do Without Certain Applications
The use of apps is becoming increasingly prevalent. While in 2011 just 25% of users utilized the applications on their smart phones, by 2013 the figure has risen to 50%. Three quarters of those surveyed would choose to do without apps in the event of a known security risk – for example, hacker attacks; yet for one quarter of users, this would depend on the particular app. Facebook and Whatsapp were the two apps that Austrians were least willing to do without.



* The A1 Social Impact Study was carried out for the 14th time in 2013. The market and research institute GfK Austria has been examining the influence of mobile communications on society in this representative poll since 1999. One thousand mobile phone users over the age of 12 were polled across Austria between 29 May and 6 June 2013.
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Data Protection: Key Facts about the Telekom Austria Group
The Telekom Austria Group gives the highest priority to protecting sensitive data and systems and also to averting potential threats. The Information Security Policy and supplementary Information Security Standards apply throughout the Group and are supplemented by country-specific guidelines at the local level. At Group level, the implementation and application of the Group Policy is monitored and regularly verified by the Information Security & Emergency unit. Dedicated information security managers have been appointed at all operating subsidiaries of the Telekom Austria Group. Compliance with the highest standards of data protection and security as well as the publication of an annual data protection report as of 2014 have been defined as binding goals of the Corporate Sustainability Strategy. Above and beyond this, the Telekom Austria Group organizes many initiatives and events that promote the personal skills required for the proper and safe use of modern information and communications solutions (media skills).