One person in eight in the EU27 avoids e-shopping because of security concerns

In connection with the 5th Safer Internet Day on 12 February 2008, Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, presents a selection of statistics concerning internet
activities, security concerns and virus attacks, the Safer Internet Day is part of a global drive to promote a safer Internet for all users, in particular younger people, and is organised by
Insafe, a European internet safety network co-funded by the European Commission.

The data presented in this news release have been collected from the 2006 and 2007 surveys on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) usage in households and by individuals in the
EU27. More data on Internet security and related topics can be found in the dedicated section Science and Technology/Information Society on the Eurostat website.

Most e-shopping security concerns in Spain and Finland The percentage of individuals aged 16 to 74 in the EU27 who ordered goods or services over the internet increased from
24% in 2005 to 30% in 2007. The highest proportions of internet shoppers in 2007 were recorded in Denmark (55% in 2006), the Netherlands (55%), Sweden and the United Kingdom (both 53%), and the
lowest in Bulgaria and Romania (both 3%) and Lithuania (6%). In 2006, 12% of individuals aged 16 to 74 in the EU27 had not ordered goods or services over the internet in the preceding 12 months
because of worries about giving credit card or personal details online. These security and privacy concerns were most common in Spain (27%), Finland (26%) and Cyprus (20%).

Internet banking most common in Finland and Estonia In the EU27 internet users, meaning individuals aged 16 to 74 who had used internet in the last three months, increased from
52% of all individuals aged 16 to 74 in 2006 to 57% in 2007. During the same time period, the proportion of internet users who used internet banking grew from 38% to 44%. In 2007, this
proportion was highest in Finland (84%), Estonia (83%) and the Netherlands (77%), and lowest in Bulgaria (5%), Romania (7%) and Greece (12%).

One quarter of EU27 internet users suffered a virus attack in the last twelve months In the EU27 in 2007, nearly a quarter of internet users had had a computer virus in the
preceding 12 months, which resulted in a loss of information or time. Virus attacks were most frequent in Lithuania (41% of users), Slovenia (35%) and Malta (34%) and least common in the Czech
Republic (7%), Estonia (15%) and Sweden (16%). One way of protecting oneself against the loss of information is to regularly make a safety copy or a back up file of information. In the EU27 in
2007, nearly a quarter of internet users always or almost always made safety copies or back up files from their computer. The highest proportions of individuals making safety copies were found
in Greece (43% of users), France (35%) and Malta (34%), and the lowest in Poland (13%), Estonia (14%) and Sweden (15%).