NEW YORK – Nearly 90 percent of Americans say they feel safe online despite the rising tide of spyware, phishing and other bad ware threatening Internet users, according to a new poll sponsored by StopBadware.org, the consumer protection initiative aimed at combating dangerous software.

The poll, conducted by Zogby International, finds that 88 percent of Internet users feel safe when using personal computers to access the Internet. Furthermore, 84 percent agree that they have the information and tools needed to make good decisions to protect their privacy and security online.

“What we have here is an Internet security paradox,” said Maxim Weinstein, who manages the StopBadware.org team at Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society. “Americans see themselves as safe online, even as we see an ongoing trend of organized criminal elements using the Internet to target unsuspecting users.” Weinstein will testify at the Federal Trade Commission on April 1 about how to better educate users about the dangers of phishing, a deceptive practice responsible for $2.1 billion in identity theft damages last year, according to Consumer Reports.

The Internet security paradox transcends geography, age, politics, and gender. Across virtually all socio-economic lines, the vast majority of Americans agree that they feel safe online and able to protect their privacy and security. Zogby polled 6,678 Americans in February, with a 1.2 percent margin of error.

Young Americans are particularly confident about their online presence. Nearly 50 percent under 30 express being very safe online, compared to just 25 percent of those 65 years and older who shared the level of agreement. “Young people who have grown up in a digital society treat the Internet as part of their world, not as a separate entity with different rules from the physical world,” said John Palfrey, executive director of the Berkman Center and co-author of the forthcoming Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives. “To digital natives, asking if they feel safe online is akin to asking if they feel safe in their own community.”

This column was written by Mark Cox of ConnecIT

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