I’ve hardly ever heard of a time where Americans had more trust in one another than in the 50s. Everyone knew their neighbors, recommendations were through word of mouth, and someone giving their word was as binding as a legal contract. Times are definitely changing, 79% of Americans have “far too little or too little confidence in each other.”
Trust in other parts of the world looked different than the U.S. It’s not so much that there was less trust by comparison, it was just placed differently. For instance, Japan’s influences of Shinto and Buddhist religions and collectivist values prioritize the group over the individual. The expectations are that everyone will do whatever it takes as long as it’s in the best interest of the group as a whole.
The UK, much like the U.S., is largely characterized by Humanist values with a more individualistic focus on personal freedom and independence. In Latin America, there’s a culture around having to prove your trustworthiness. This is largely due to widespread corruption causing people early on to question people’s motives.
With globalization, there is a certain expectation that we should trust one another more as people from all corners of the globe come closer together. In cybersecurity, that’s not a chance we should be taking.
According to CBC News, “online deception is the rule, not the exception.” The amount of trust we should have on the internet should be minimal, regardless of your cultural background. No matter what culture you’re a part of or country you’re from you HAVE to be wary when it comes to a life online. No ifs, ands or buts about it.
The truth is, while the development of the internet and IoT devices has made our lives more convenient, that convenience comes at a price. Below is a list of some very alarming statistics about cyber crime, in case you don’t believe us:
- Every 32 seconds, a hacker attacks someone online
- A full 98 percent of all IoT device traffic is unencrypted, exposing personal and confidential data on the network
- It took 206 days on average to identify a breach in 2019.
- 95% of malware is delivered via email.
- In 2019, over 43% of data breach victims were small businesses.
- By 2021, cybersecurity services are expected to account for well over 50% of budgets.
- 53% of companies had over 1,000 sensitive files open to every employee.
There’s no doubt that this information would make anyone nervous using the internet. These statistics are scary, but that doesn’t mean that we should rip out our routers and chuck them out the window. We can enjoy all of the wonderful things that technology has to offer us as long as we do so smartly.
In fact, there’s no reason for us to not enjoy this digital age of Roombas and Alexas. We’re living in a world that not even The Simpsons or Back to the Future could’ve foreseen. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be aware that there are people out there that don’t have the best intentions. It’s impossible to do anything without using the internet (try going a week without it, I dare you). Wherever you’re from, treat the internet like you would a Tinder date –always be in investigative mode (even after you swipe right).
For cyber tips we can all follow, check out this Reveal Risk video (or if you just want a good laugh or a break from reading about the morbidities of the digital world).