This content was created by Robert Siciliano. This content was uploaded by Robert Siciliano. This is a YouTube video titled "Sexting Damaging Online Reputations @McAfee" (published Feb 24, 2014) containing an on-air interview between a host (Speaker A) and McAfee Online Security expert Robert Siciliano. They discuss findings from McAfee's 2nd Annual Love, Relationship and Technology Study—statistics about sharing intimate content and passwords, risks of device loss/theft and revenge posting, and practical advice (password protection, antivirus, think-before-you-send) aimed at protecting privacy around Valentine's Day.
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Did you know that 3/4 of people have sent intimate content to their significant other via mobile device? And that 50% have shared their mobile phone account information with their partner? As Valentine's Day looms, there may be things you don't want to share. McAfee Online Security expert Robert Siciliano joins us now to talk about this topic. Robert, These stats that I quoted are from McAfee's 2nd Annual Love, Relationship and Technology Study. Are you surprised at the extent that people leave themselves vulnerable given all the horror stories we've seen and heard through the years?
Yeah, it is amazing with all the different celebrities, politicians, sports figures that have leaked this type of information that's gone viral that, you know, your regular everyday people haven't smartened up to it.
So what are some of the things that people can do to protect themselves?
Well, first and foremost, recognize that digital is forever, that digital is repeatable, which means that when you send somebody something, that it's possible they could forward it, that they can copy and paste it, that they can post it online. And we've seen these revenge sites pop up left and right, uh, and where 50% of relationships eventually end that there's a chance that somebody who you forward a naked photo to eventually might not like you.
Yeah, and we just showed some stats that, that point to the availability of material there. We said that 70% of 18- to 24-year-olds receive suggestive content. That, that's just a, a crazy number.
Yeah, and the, uh, 50- to 65-year-olds are engaging in similar behavior, which tells us that they're essentially adult children setting bad examples.
Really anything that could be truly labeled "for your eyes only"?
You know, the people who are engaging in this really aren't thinking this through. When you are snapping these photos and you're storing them and/or sending them, you know, there's always a chance that you might lose or you might have your mobile lost or stolen, which if it ends up in the hands of a criminal then they could post that information to your Facebook page, they could share it amongst, you know, anyone for that matter. So it's important that consumers lock down their devices with password protection, they use antivirus, anti-spyware, anti-phishing, and a firewall, and consider just not engaging in that behavior because ultimately it could get you into some trouble.
But even password protection isn't a complete answer these days because, as we are showing just on the screen now, many people share those passwords with their significant significant other. It's almost like a mobile device password is the apartment key of the, of the current times. 46% of adults share passwords with others. That also has to be another dangerous trend.
And like I said before, you know, half of those relationships are eventually going to end, and now somebody who doesn't like you has your passwords, and they're going to log into your account, they're going to harass you, they're going to download or upload information. Uh, that just isn't a good idea. And like you said, you know, the The password today is like the apartment key, or it's like the varsity sweater or the promise ring. And when you show somebody you love with a password and eventually they don't love you, they could use that against you.
And also use it against you on social media websites like Facebook, right? I think we have another statistic to show about that, where 1 in 5 adults will log into each other's Facebook account at least once a month.
Yeah, and sometimes after they're not in a relationship any longer. So consumers need to recognize that this is essentially what's going on, that in this new digital age, many people aren't really prepared for what goes on when sharing passwords via social media, on your mobile devices, via critical accounts, when you are engaging in this behavior with these risqué photos and so forth, that down the road, you know, all of this sharing of this information can eventually bite someone.
This is all good advice ahead of Valentine's Day. Anything else you have to suggest for the lovebirds out there?
Just recognize that especially around this holiday season when you are sharing this type of data, that there very well could be negative repercussions down the road. So think before you click, think before you send.
