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Dear Santa: New survey shows what people wish to be deleted from the internet this Christmas

Dear Santa: New survey shows what people wish to be deleted from the internet this Christmas

This holiday season NordVPN asked people what they wish they could have deleted from the internet. The results showed around a third of people (32%) globally wish they could delete trolls from the online environment and slightly less wish they could delete their contact information, such as names, addresses, and emails, (13%) and social media platforms, such as Facebook or Twitter, (9%).

 

“Although this festive season is all about brightness and joy when it comes to internet privacy, it all turns a little more gloomy. We have very little privacy on the internet. People often think they are not interesting enough to be monitored or spied on, but from your Facebook status updates to your emails to smartphone location tracking, you are,” says Daniel Markuson, a digital privacy expert at NordVPN.

 

Survey results at a glance

 

According to the study, around a third (32%) of people want to delete internet trolls globally. This wish was the most popular from the list of different things people could have removed from the internet. Wanting to remove trolls from the internet was most pronounced with respondents from the UK (45%), Poland (42%), and Australia (42%). The highest tolerance for trolls was shown by Germany (18%), France (20%), and the Netherlands (21%), which could suggest they have either fewer trolls or aren’t as bothered by them.

 

While internet trolls represent the annoying part of the internet, the survey also shows that people care about their data, with 13% of people wishing they could delete their name, email, address, and other personal information from the internet. Scammers and thieves often use this type of data, sothis wish is a rational one.

 

The data also revealed that internet users feel somewhat drained by social media platforms because 9% of respondents would ask Santa Claus to remove at least one of their social media platforms. These results illustrate the darker side of the internet, which can be both tired and risky. 

 

Americans were more concerned with contact information than the global average

 

Contact information was on more people’s delete list in the US than elsewhere (15.7%), but other forms of personal data (including intimate messages, which was last on the list of types of personal data) were less likely to appear. About 12.5% of Americans wanted to remove social media platforms. Younger adults (18-24) were more than twice as likely to be concerned about things they had posted than other age groups, while pictures were more likely to be a concern for older millennials (35-44).

 

Middle- to high-income Canadians really dislike internet trolls

 

Canadians were among the most concerned about Internet trolls (37%), particularly those with middle and higher incomes, while information posted about their family or children scored much lower in Canada than the global average. Younger groups (both 18-24 and 25-34) were 70% more likely to put private messages or content they had posted on their delete list.

 

Australians were among the most concerned with information online generally

 

Australians were among the most concerned with information online generally. Forty-two percent of Australians had Internet trolls on their delete list, and 11% wished to get rid of social media platforms, both higher than the global average. Younger groups were more concerned about specific types of content posted, including pictures, with over 90% of 25-34-year-olds wanting to delete something from the Internet.

 

The UK has a big troll problem

 

Based on the survey results, the UK has the biggest troll problem — over 40% of respondents would prioritize removing them from the Internet, perhaps because of increased awareness with current laws being discussed to prevent online harm.

 

Germans were more concerned about pictures but far less worried about online trolls

 

Over a quarter of Germans didn’t want to ask Santa to delete anything, choosing “none of the above,” and online trolls were much less of a concern in Germany (only 18% compared to a global average of 32%), perhaps due to better regulations, awareness, and online privacy culture. But Germans were more likely to pick pictures and other content they had posted online to be deleted.

 

French respondents were among the least concerned with online trolls

 

French respondents were among the least concerned with online trolls (only 19% compared to an average of 32%), though it remained the top choice on Santa’s delete list. Instead, things about their family jumped to third place on the list in France, and French people were also more concerned about contact information, pictures, and what they posted themselves.

 

The Netherlands held reasonably closely to global averages, thought the Dutch had much less concern about online trolls

 

The Netherlands’ responses held reasonably close to global averages. However, the Dutch had much less concern about online trolls (only 20.6% compared to the standard of 32%). Santa will have an easy time in the Netherlands because more Dutch respondents chose to delete nothing from the list (23% compared to an average of 15.9%).

 

Polish respondents were mainly concerned with online trolls

 

Santa will be busy in Poland. Only 11.4% selected “none of the above” the lowest number of any country surveyed. Polish respondents were mainly concerned with online trolls, with 42% of people choosing trolls as their top wish to delete. Intimate messages were also a more popular choice in Poland than anywhere else (9.6% compared to the 7.4% global average).

 

Spaniards show great concern for relationships online

 

In Spain, content posted by someone else and intimate messages both saw high positions on the list, and respondents were also more likely than average to choose information about their family. Christmas can be a time for families and friends to get together, and our survey shows that Spanish respondents have a greater focus on relationships online.

 

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