Its not a huge surprise but its still an interesting statistic. SellCell, a used cellphone buyer, has done a survey of the different mobile device users and how they act on securing their devices. They found that BlackBerry users are the most likely to know how to wipe their phone though 17% recycled their phone without wiping it. Here are some of the findings:
- Over half of respondents (60 percent) would not know how to wipe data off their phone before selling or recycling it;
- One in seven have sold a phone without removing their data beforehand; and
- BlackBerry users are the savviest when it comes to security, with 51 percent knowing how to wipe their phones before selling it. Despite this awareness, a surprising 17 percent of BlackBerry users have gone ahead and recycled their old phones without wiping all the data first, compared to only five percent of iPhone users.
- When it comes to changing passwords for access to apps, BlackBerry users are once again the most experienced, with 21 percent regularly changing their passwords. This is compared to only eight percent of Windows Phone users and only 13 percent of iPhone users who engage in regular password updates.
- In regards to phone factory settings, iPhone users proved to be the most informed (34 percent) on how to reset theirs. BlackBerry, Windows Phone and Android users were all the least savvy in this space, with only about three in 10 owners knowing how to reset theirs.
Here is the full press release:
Over 130 million* U.S. adults are putting their mobile data at risk
Latest SellCell.com Study Reveals BlackBerry Users Are The Most Savvy When It Comes To Smartphone Security
NEW YORK, JUNE 26, 2013 – SellCell.com, the leading cell and smartphone recycling price comparison site in the US, today released its latest study revealing that over 130 million* U.S. adults are putting their mobile data at risk by not having a security pin on their phone. Almost two-thirds (65.9 percent) of mobile phone-owning U.S. adults indicated they do not have the pin on their devices.
The study also found that:
- Over half of respondents (60 percent) would not know how to wipe data off their phone before selling or recycling it;
- One in seven have sold a phone without removing their data beforehand; and
- BlackBerry users are the savviest when it comes to security, with 51 percent knowing how to wipe their phones before selling it. Despite this awareness, a surprising 17 percent of BlackBerry users have gone ahead and recycled their old phones without wiping all the data first, compared to only five percent of iPhone users.
When it comes to changing passwords for access to apps, BlackBerry users are once again the most experienced, with 21 percent regularly changing their passwords. This is compared to only eight percent of Windows Phone users and only 13 percent of iPhone users who engage in regular password updates. In regards to phone factory settings, iPhone users proved to be the most informed (34 percent) on how to reset theirs. BlackBerry, Windows Phone and Android users were all the least savvy in this space, with only about three in 10 owners knowing how to reset theirs.
“These days our phones contain the most intimate details of our life, including birth dates, contact details, e-mails, text messages and photos,” says Colin White, Managing Director for SellCell.com. “It’s incredible how much you can find out about a person just by looking through their phone. With the increased adoption of personal phones also being used for business nowadays, it is shocking that so many people pay little regard to the work sensitive information they keep on an open device. To avoid falling victim to identify fraud or other fraudulent activities, it is crucial for consumers to understand how to properly protect their data.”
