Security Fears Making More Americans Refrain From Online Activity, NTIA Says

U.S. census data shows Americans are increasingly limiting online activity due to security and privacy concerns such as identity theft, NTIA policy analyst Rafi Goldberg wrote in a blog post Friday. Analysis of the data collected in July by the Census Bureau showed people's negative personal experiences are undermining online trust, he said. "Nineteen percent of Internet-using households -- representing nearly 19 million households -- reported that they had been affected by an online security breach, identity theft, or similar malicious activity during the 12 months prior to the July 2015 survey" of more than 41,000 households, he wrote. Identity theft topped respondents' concerns (63 percent), followed by credit card or banking fraud (45 percent), data collection or tracking by online services (23 percent), loss of control over personal data (22 percent), government data collection or tracking (18 percent), and threats to personal safety (13 percent), he wrote. NTIA said 45 percent of online households say "these concerns stopped them from conducting financial transactions, buying goods or services, posting on social networks, or expressing opinions on controversial or political issues via the Internet, and 30 percent refrained from at least two of these activities." Goldberg said NTIA's initial analysis "only scratches the surface" and policymakers need to better grasp this mistrust "and the resulting chilling effects," which could affect economic activity and the free exchange of ideas online.