Britons Still Afraid of Internet Connections

A recent survey sponsored by Get Safe Online revealed that 20 percent of the respondents are still afraid to connect to the web for shopping, because of the security threats, "The Register" reported today. The research included approximately 2,000 British adults and showed that one in five Britons were still scared that their information might be threatened while shopping online. And they have reasons to be afraid, because there have been way too many incidents in the last few months, which prove us that our data is not secure even if it is stored on computers belonging to government or companies' employees.

"People do need to be vigilant when shopping online, but fear of the risks shouldn't stop you. Being aware of the warning signs, and taking a few simple precautions, is all that's needed to shop with confidence. Keep your wits about you, and if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is", Tony Neate, managing director of GetSafeOnline.org, told "The Register".

With Christmas almost here, it's very important to let the potential consumers know that their information is secure, no matter what happens during the shopping process. Sure, it's hard to do this thing when data losses and hack attacks are reported every day, but the online merchants have to do something to attract this segment of users.

Get Safe Online published four best tips that may help you protect your information while shopping online (all of them are published in The Register's article):

- Buy only from reputable companies - look for evidence of a physical address, contact telephone numbers.
- Make sure you use a secure web site to enter credit card information. Look for a padlock symbol in the bottom right of the browser window and for the website address to begin with 'https://'
- If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. Cross-check information on the Internet and see if anyone else has had problems.
- Be extremely wary of anything that is offered in an unsolicited or spam email.