Kaspersky commissioned a study, interviewing 1,000 people in 21 countries worldwide, which reveals that 23% of respondents have experienced some form of online stalking from a person they were newly dating.
And yet, the same respondents are still vulnerable to an alarming rise in stalking and abuse on Valentine’s Day from risks posed by location settings, data privacy, and, more broadly, oversharing.
The types of abuse are varied, with 39% of respondents having reported some form of violence or abuse from a current or previous partner; 16% of respondents had been sent unwanted emails or messages, and perhaps most concerningly, 13% had been filmed or photographed without their consent.
A survey found that 10% of respondents had their location tracked, social media accounts or emails hacked, and 7% had stalkerware installed on their devices without consent.
More female respondents had experienced some form of violence or abuse compared to male respondents (42% versus 36%). Concerningly, more of those currently dating had experienced violence or abuse compared to those in a long-term relationship (48% versus 37%). In fact, 34% of respondents said they worried about being stalked online, and female respondents were slightly more concerned at the prospect than males (36% were worried compared to 31% of male respondents).
Online stalking affects people from different parts of the world differently. A majority of people from South and Central America and Asia report experiencing some form of online stalking. For instance, in India, 42% of people surveyed reported some form of online stalking, followed by 38% in Mexico and 36% in Argentina.
“Navigating online dating and virtual spaces can be challenging and it’s crucial for social media and dating apps to implement verification processes, which can help confirm that users’ profiles match their actual photos,” commented Emma Pickering, Head of Technology-Facilitated Abuse and Economic Empowerment, Refuge.
Kaspersky has created some top tips for staying safe while dating online below:
- Keep passwords to yourself and make sure they are complex and unique
- If it seems too good to be true, it might just be – if in doubt, check!
- Take a moment to check your own digital privacy
- Think before you share – the internet has a long memory, and sharing too much too soon can leave you vulnerable
- Create a “safe plan” if you move from the digital to the real worlds
- Consider using a comprehensive cyber security or VPN solution to protect yourself
For more details, check out Kaspersky’s safe dating guide. For other ways to stay safe from Stalkerware, visit https://stopstalkerware.org/resources/.
Kaspersky helps fight domestic violence by co-founding the Coalition Against Stalkerware, co-funding the EU project DeStalk, and creating the free tool TinyCheck to detect stalkerware.
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