Protection of personal data: aware of disclosing it, the French do not do much to protect themselves

In a barometer commissioned by the companies Olvid, Qwant, Proton and Murena on the occasion of Data Privacy Day, we learn that the French are still struggling to protect themselves well against the use of their personal data.

Taking advantage of the imminence of European Personal Data Protection Day (celebrated on January 28), Qwant, Proton, Olvid and Murena (which offers a mobile OS) wish to raise awareness in order to propel the thorny but oh so important subject of the protection of this personal information. The four companies, which defend an ethical and transparent Internet, published a barometer on Tuesday on the French and their privacy on the Internet. You will see that despite awareness, the march towards better data protection remains as high as ever.

The French prioritize the importance of such or such personal data, often wrongly

One thing is certain: the French know that they share data when they are online. 72% of respondents say they are aware of disclosing personal information when browsing the Internet, and 91% even go so far as to say they are concerned by the subject.

It must be said that the news (hate and violence online, GDPR, record fines for GAFAM) contributes to this awareness. The practices of the tech giants are increasingly highlighted by television media, even very generalist ones, which, two or three years ago, did not dare to set foot in this sector, which was wrongly considered too far from the General public.

Behind this awareness is a hierarchy, a value given to personal data. 76% of French people say, for example, that the most important information to protect is that related to money and finances. Those relating to personal identification (69%), medical data (37%) as well as photos and videos (37%) that are personal or affecting relatives follow further behind. Research carried out on the Internet, crucial data for advertisers, and therefore for the economic model of many Web players, is only a priority for 11% of French people. Worse, political opinion (4%) is found squarely at the bottom of the grid.

Information related to the diary or the calendar is only part of the most important data to protect for 11% of French people. Nevertheless, ” calendars give incredibly detailed information about people’s lives, and this highly sensitive information deserves the same protection as emails and files rightly point out the authors of the barometer.

The paradox of privacy

68% of respondents say they know one or more ways to protect their data online. But only 48% use it. Ah! So where’s the problem ? Qwant, Proton, Olvid and Murena speak of a ” discrepancy between knowledge and practice, which is found in all the results “.

Indeed, if users have as main concerns the security of their mailbox (66%), their social networks (59%), their browser (47%) and their search engine (46%), their settings are not always up to their need for protection. These include disabling device location tracking, cookie blocker, private browsing, and VPN. These solutions are cited by 21 to 44% of respondents. The use of a privacy-friendly search engine is only mentioned by 8% of French people questioned. Finally, private messaging is only used by 6% of respondents.

The solutions most claimed by users are a first step, but they generally only correspond to the use of pre-installed settings, such as private browsing. ” Protecting yourself through private digital services requires a committed approach on the part of the user, more costly in time and money than setting up devices “, we read in the barometer. He regrets that the French give up in the face of the complexity of the real protection process. A real privacy paradox.

The positive side to remember is that 86% of users surveyed call for better support in the implementation of more protective solutions for their personal data. A good start.