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US data protection: Online habits and data breaches

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ProtonVPN’s survey reveals US online data protection habits and how common data breaches are.

As an organization building an internet where privacy is the default, Proton are always interested in how people protect themselves and their data online. They asked 1,000 randomly selected people over the age of 16 questions about their online habits to reveal what the average US citizen is doing to secure their online data.

The survey results indicate just how common data breaches are, which data people are most concerned about being exposed, as well as the level of protection individuals use to keep their information safe.

ProtonVPN have highlighted the key findings from the survey below.

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Gmail is the most common email provider, but iCloud is popular among people under 25

The survey asked respondents which email provider and internet browsers they used most.

Gmail came out on top as the most popular email provider, with 73.71% of respondents using a Gmail account.

Apple’s email service, part of the iCloud suite, was the fourth most popular overall. However, the results showed a sharp increase in iCloud accounts within the 16 to 24-year-old age bracket (over 18% had an iCloud account compared to under 10% of those above this age range), signaling a conspicuous appeal to the younger generation.

When evaluating email service providers, it’s important to consider their track record as well as the protections they have in place. Some email providers, such as Yahoo and Outlook, have suffered major data breaches. Other email providers, such as Gmail, have a good security record but scan your emails, track your purchasing habits, and share access to your messages with third parties. And, unfortunately, none of these popular providers, including Apple’s email service, offer end-to-end encryption or zero-access encryption.

ProtonMail uses zero-access encryption on all emails so that we cannot read your messages, meaning no third parties can read them either. It also means that even if there were a data breach, your messages would remain secure.

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Most providers do now offer two-factor authentication for their logins, and you should always use this security measure. However, 2FA by itself won’t always be enough to protect your account, depending on the type of breach. It also cannot prevent your provider from selling or sharing your data. For a more private email experience, you need to use an encrypted service, such as ProtonMail, that protects all messages.

For internet browsers, Google Chrome came out on top with 63.45% of people using Chrome as their day-to-day browser, while Safari came second with 26.29% of people using Apple’s chosen browser as their main search provider.

Many people use Big Tech services simply because they come preinstalled on their devices or offer name recognition and speed. Yet these services are built on a business model of exploiting your data for advertising purposes, which is at odds with privacy. This is especially true with browsers, which is why using alternative services that minimize data collection is the best way to find what you’re looking for while handing over the least amount of information.

72% of people admit to using public WiFi networks without adequate security measures, despite privacy warnings

Though many may feel they are as careful as possible with their online security, do we give this as much thought when we are on our phones or on the move?

Chances are, when you have been out grabbing dinner, on holiday, or working from a coffee shop, you’ve logged into a public WiFi network. Our survey revealed that over 72% of people use public WiFi networks, despite the risks they pose to your privacy.

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These WiFi networks often will make you agree to terms and conditions that allow them to monitor your browsing and link to your email so that they can sell that data to advertisers.

Having a trustworthy VPN running on your device can help with this issue, as the VPN encrypts your data, preventing the network operator from monitoring your online browsing.

Over a quarter of people surveyed had their data exposed in a breach

As part of the survey, we additionally asked respondents to enter their main email address into a website called haveibeenpwnd.com. This website is free to use and checks whether an email address has been exposed in an online breach.

Our survey found that 25.8% of people have had their data exposed in a breach online at least once. Over 10% hadn’t even realized this was the case before checking for the survey.

The website also checks if your email address has been subject to a “paste”. “Pasting” is a type of data breach where hackers copy and paste personal information, such as email addresses, names, passwords, and so forth, on specific websites, like PasteBin. This makes it much easier for others to obtain and share a person’s data. 20% of people who took part in our survey found that their personal information had been subject to “pastes”.

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We asked respondents to specify the type of information they found being exposed the most. Three kinds of data were especially common:

  1. Email Addresses (57.19%)
  2. Passwords (38.36%)
  3. Usernames (33.22%)

The survey also asked respondents to specify the type of companies that had been breached. The social media industry had the highest percentages of people affected by a data breach (42.12%), followed by gaming (25%) and tech-based websites (20.55%).

A larger breakdown can be seen below:

Social media 42.12%
Gaming 25.00%
Technology 20.55%
E-commerce 18.84%
Lifestyle 17.81%
Banking 17.12%
Creative 11.64%
Fitness 10.96%
Adult industry 8.56%

Unfortunately, there isn’t much anyone can do when an external company suffers a data breach. People trust that a company or website has as much security in place as possible to keep their online data safe. This is not always the case, and even companies with high security levels have suffered large data breaches.

Most large social media platforms have suffered data breaches, including Facebook in 2019 and TikTok, Instagram, and Youtube, where the information of millions of users has been exposed. In this case, there is nothing more these individuals could have done to protect their data.

If people are worried about their information being exposed from websites such as social media, sharing as little personal data as possible on these accounts will reduce the amount of data at risk in any potential breach.

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82% of people are concerned about having their personal data exposed in a breach, but less than 21% would change their online habits

The team at ProtonVPN wanted to find out not just what information has been exposed online, but ultimately what information people are most concerned about being exposed.

The survey revealed that the three types of information people are most concerned about being exposed in a breach are:

  1. Bank details (54%)
  2. Passwords (43.53%)
  3. Physical addresses (18.13%)

Overall, 82% of people admitted to being worried about having their information exposed in online data breaches.

However, when we asked the same survey respondents about the precautions they take to protect themselves and their data online, their responses did not match this level of concern:

  • Less than 23% of people said they read privacy policies to ensure their data will not be sold to third parties.
  • Less than 20% of people said they have two-factor authentication (2FA) set up on all accounts, which keeps your accounts safe if your password is stolen or exposed.
  • Moreover, when asked after taking the survey whether they plan to do anything more to keep themselves protected online, only 20.82% said they plan to do so.

But for those who want to take extra precautions, what more can you do to make sure they keep their data and online usage as private and secure as possible?

Steps you can take to protect yourself

Though a company data breach is not something an individual can protect themselves from, there are several precautions you can take to keep your data and online usage as secure as possible.

The security experts at ProtonVPN have given their tips on what to do if you are worried about your data being exposed online:

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  • Where possible, set up 2FA and extra steps to sign in to ensure your accounts are as safe as possible. With 2FA, even if someone obtains your login details, they will not be able to access your account without also having access to your second authentication pass.
  • Don’t sign up for or share personal information with a website or service unless it is strictly necessary. We know that this is not easy with social media. However, we recommend sharing as little personal information as possible.
  • When checking out, always untick any boxes that ask if they can keep your payment information for the next time you shop.
  • Make sure all your passwords are different for each of your accounts, which is made easier by using a password manager. This means that if your data is obtained on one website’s data breach, hackers will not have access to your other accounts.

Sources and Methodology

Based on a survey of 1,000 US citizens aged 16 and over and picked at random from across the US, which took place in November 2021.

Censuswide conducted this survey on behalf of ProtonVPN.

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Soft2Bet granted Ontario Certification of Registration and readies for imminent launch

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Ontario Certificate is hugely promising as Soft2Bet continues its regulatory expansion

Soft2Bet, a leading provider of online betting and gaming solutions to regulated operators worldwide, is delighted to announce that it has been granted a Certificate of Registration in Ontario, Canada’s largest province, moving it one step closer to being able to launch its Tooniebet.com iGaming brand.

Obtaining its Certificate of Registration (Nbr: OPIG1280338) from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) will enable Soft2Bet to continue its expansion into the world’s largest regulated jurisdictions.

Ontario has been a major success story for regulated online sports betting and casino in North America in the past two years. The province launched its regulations in April 2022 and latest figures for the fourth quarter of 2023 showed that operators recorded a 21% rise in wagers to CA$17.2bn and a 22% increase in gross gaming revenues to CA$658m, the highest ever revenue total in Ontario’s wagering history. Online casino was the main driver of this growth and generated CA$13.7bn of the total stakes and CA$471m in GGR.

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Elisabeth Isaksson, Head of Regulatory Compliance at Soft2Bet, commented: “Being registered with the AGCO in Ontario is testament to the work our compliance and regulatory teams are doing daily to enable our continued expansion in the world’s largest regulated markets. We’re immensely excited about taking our first steps in North America and look forward to licensing and launching in more jurisdictions in the region.”

Chief Business Development Officer Martin Collins added: “This Ontario certification is another significant and important step in our corporate expansion plans. It fits perfectly with our stated aim of growing our regulatory footprint and we very much look forward to continuing forward on this path.”

Soft2Bet is also actively working to obtain a licence in New Jersey and continue its expansion in the Americas. This activity comes after the group obtained B2C licences in Italy, Greece and Romania in 2023.

 

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Hacksaw Gaming and DraftKings Score Again in Ontario

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2023 saw Hacksaw Gaming go live in West Virginia and New Jersey and now we have made our long-awaited entry in Ontario, Canada. Securing this trio has hit new heights and hopes for further successes throughout the rest of this year.

DraftKings Casino entered the iGaming market in Ontario in May of 2022 and partnered with Hacksaw Gaming in the back end of the same year. As Ontario’s regulated iGaming market only went live in April of 2022, the pair have given an outstanding performance with effective launch strategies and expansive footing in North America.

Apart from gaining an unprecedented reach across regulated markets, the mobile-friendly format of Hacksaw Gaming games can be visited on phone or tablet via the DraftKings Casino app. Boasting an impressive online casino’s selection of over 300 games, DraftKings now welcomes Hacksaw Gaming favourites such as Chaos Crew, Mines, Omnom and Boxes.

“The benchmarks we have set as a partnership are remarkable and we are ready to take on more challenges continuing into 2024,” the Chief Executive Officer for Hacksaw Gaming, Marcus Cordes, said.

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Exploring Canada’s video Game Market: Survey Insights

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Technology has become a great source of entertainment to many. Video games particularly have garnered interest from all demographics. In Canada, the gaming industry has experienced significant growth, fuelled by increased accessibility to gaming platforms and the growth of online gaming communities.

Statistics indicate that a large percentage of Canadians are engaged in gaming activities, whether it be playing console or PC games, mobile games, or online multiplayer games. The popularity of video games extends beyond leisure pastimes, with many Canadians participating in gaming competitions, attending gaming conventions, and consuming gaming-related content on platforms like Twitch and YouTube.

The number of video game users in Canada reflects how broad the sector is, from mobile games to digital video games, download games and live streaming. In 2024, the gaming sector will see millions of users in each of these categories. Statista projects 13.38 million users for digital video games and 7.35 million users for online games respectively. It estimates that revenue in the Canadian video game market is expected to reach US$3,925.00m in 2024, so it is no surprise to observe the increasing popularity of the sector.

Well-known online casino provider BetVictor has compiled some key points from major surveys detailing the video game market to give further insight into its makeup and potential. The gaming culture in Canada is growing, which means the type of games and genres will grow along with the sector. Statista recently conducted a survey of 1 576 respondents aged 18 – 64 who are avid video game players, with telling results. ​​In December 2023, a survey about preferred video game genres in Canada revealed the top four genres as being Action, Action – adventure, Adventure and casual games accounting for 31% of respondents’ preferences.

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David Winter, Marketing Manager at BetVictor notes that “We’ve seen a steady increase in the popularity of action-themed and adventure-themed slots and many providers are exploring how to expand further into this market.”

The popularity of Action games such as platform and fighting games can be attributed to various factors, such as: social interaction, accessibility and inclusivity, social appeal, and cultural influence. With such a diverse audience, all these factors are crucial to understand the appeal of Action games.

In the digital age, gaming has transcended mere entertainment to become a cornerstone of culture, and nowhere is this more evident than in Canada. From coast to coast, a diverse community of gamers is thriving, reflecting the country’s inclusive spirit and passion for technology. Whether it’s the casual gamer enjoying a quick session on their smartphone or the dedicated enthusiast meticulously building a custom gaming PC, Canada offers a welcome haven for all kinds of gamers.

Diving deeper into the Statista results, Strategy games accounted for 29%. This shows us that players have a strong interest in tactical and decision-making games. While role-playing (RPG) and sports games garnered 22% each, simulation and shooters trailed slightly behind at 21% and 20% respectively.

MMO (massively multiplayer online games), as well as MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role-playing games) and MOBA (multi online battle arenas) came in at 13% and 8% respectively, representing a significant but niche following. With such a diverse array of preferences, the survey underscores the multifaceted nature of interests among Canadian gamers. It highlights the need for game developers to cater for a wide range of genres and gameplaying styles in the Canadian market.

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From action shooter games to role-playing adventures, the industry has something for every gaming enthusiast in the Canadian market. Overall, the popularity of video games in Canada reflects a growing cultural phenomenon, where gaming has become a mainstream form of entertainment and a significant aspect of modern-day leisure activities.

Statistics anticipate a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.10% for 2022-2027, resulting in a projected market volume of US$24.52bn by 2027. Canada’s online gaming market is experiencing a surge in popularity, with a surging number of Canadian players engaging in immersive virtual reality experiences.

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