Survey: Online Criminals Are Chasing Web Users AwaySurvey: Online Criminals Are Chasing Web Users Away

A major new study confirms what online businesses fear the most: Internet users are sharply cutting back the time they spend online because of online security problems.

In short, the study found that security worries are chasing Web users away. Some have stopped buying online altogether. Others have developed a serious distrust of online information sources.

The survey of 1,501 Web users released Wednesday found 3 in 10 have reduced their time on the Internet and more than half have stopped giving out personal information, Consumer Reports said in its annual WebWatch report.

Fear is the driving force behind consumer behavior. The study found 4 in 5 Internet users were at least somewhat concerned someone could steal their identity from personal information on the Web, and nearly 9 in 10 said they had made at least one change in their behavior to try to protect themselves.

One in 4 Web users said they had stopped buying things online, and more than half of those who shop online said they're more likely to read a site's privacy policy or user agreement before buying. Nearly 1 in 3 said they have cut back on how often they buy online.

"The implication to us is consumers are living in a state of fear while they're on the Web," Beau Brendler, director of WebWatch, said.

While not advocating government intervention, Consumer Reports said the study indicates that people are likely to call for more regulations governing security, better technology to protect their personal information and/or the formation of an oversight group to ensure a more secure Web.

"There's enough concern that people are going to call for something," he said. "We don't want to be alarmist and say the Internet is over, but it is evolving in a somewhat regrettable direction."

While security concerns grow, consumers are also developing higher expectation for Web sites. A growing number of consumers cited specific reasons for choosing one Web site over another, with 88 percent saying keeping personal information safe and secure was "very important."

About 8 in 10 said being able to trust the information on a site was very important, and nearly the same number said being able to easily identify the sources of information was equally important.

Nearly half said knowing who owns a Web site is very important, and 7 in 10 placed similar importance on a site being updated frequently with new information.

Another major findings was the increase in the percentage of adults getting most of their news from the Internet -- 11 percent vs. 5 percent in 2002. Having a clear distinction between advertising and news content was very important to nearly 7 in 10 Web users, and 3 in 10 placed similar importance on news sites revealing the financial relationships they have with other sites or businesses.

More than a quarter of the respondents had read a blog in the last several months, but only 1 in 8 said they believed the information was accurate at least most of the time.

Fully 57 percent of Web users distrust what blogs report, with 21 percent saying they are never, or almost never, accurate.

The ease of viewing sexually explicit material was a major problem for more than 4 in 5 online users, and 86 percent said adults seeking out children in chat rooms were equally troubling. Fully 61 percent said violent online games were a major problem.

Fully 56 percent of Web users still had not heard of the practice among search engines to accept fees to display Web sites more prominently on results pages when certain key words or phrases are used in search queries.

Not all the findings in the report were negative for the Web. Banking sites are trusted by nearly 7 in 10 Web users. More than half of online users trust sites where one can set up automatic payment of bills, and 6 in 10 say they trust auction sites either a lot or somewhat.

The report, entitled “Leap of Faith: Using the Internet Despite the Dangers,” is based on a poll conducted for Consumer Reports WebWatch by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. The magazine released the study in conjunction with WebWatch’s conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.