Robert Siciliano discusses Intel Security's survey of 14,000 people on vacation habits. Most stay connected despite wanting to unplug, risking data on public Wi-Fi. Two-thirds who actually disconnected enjoyed their vacations more, and 88% felt less stressed.
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Summer, it can be difficult to unplug and unwind. And joining us now is online safety expert Robert Siciliano with some tips to make sure that when we do go on vacation, we are able to enjoy it to the fullest of our ability. Robert, thank you so much for joining us today.
Thank you so much.
So I understand there was a new study that recently came out showing just how difficult it can be to unplug and unwind. Um, what tips do you have for people who are getting ready to go on vacation?
Sure. So Intel Security's Digital Detox Survey surveyed more than 14,000 people worldwide and found that while as many as, you know, more than half of all people wanted to disconnect and unplug, that as many as two-thirds actually stayed connected, plugged in, got stressed out, and actually put their data at risk on things like free public Wi-Fi, unencrypted Wi-Fi, making their identities potentially compromised.
And when it comes to unplugging, I know many of us can be worried that we're gonna miss an important message or an email or, or text or something like that. What tips do you have for people who are worried that disconnecting is going to actually cause them to miss out on something?
Sure. So, you know, when we are vacationing, that's what we should be doing, and we found that while, you know, all these people wanted to disconnect, uh, less than half of Americans did, whereas countries like Canada and Singapore and Mexico, those people know how to vacation. Even millennials, uh, were successful at disconnecting and unplugging, whereas, you know, baby boomers, those in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, uh, were not. So it's important that you keep your devices properly updated, using antivirus, anti-spyware, anti-phishing, and a firewall. Make sure that you're password protecting your devices. Make sure you have strong passwords, uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and characters. And again, anytime you're on free public Wi-Fi, use a virtual private network. This is very important. It locks down and encrypts all of your Wi-Fi on free public Wi-Fi.
So make sure that you're being safe is what you're saying when you are on Wi-Fi or using your device.
Make sure you're being safe, and at the same time, you know, keep in mind that when you're on vacation, you're there to vacation. Our study showed that, you know, as many as two-thirds who actually unplugged enjoyed their vacations that much more, and 88% actually were less stressed or no stress as a result of being unplugged. So you can significantly increase, uh, you know, the pleasure of your vacation simply by ditching your devices.
I love it. So many great tips, especially as we're heading into the Independence Day weekend. Now, Robert Siciliano, where can we go if we want to get more information?
Sure, you could search Intel Digital Detox online. Check out intel.com and check out their blog.
All right, online safety expert Robert Siciliano, thank you so much for joining us today.
