Russians Actively Hide Their Online Activities

According to a report by Kaspersky Lab in collaboration with the Toluna service, 84% of Russians prefer to remain anonymous online. This desire for privacy is not only driven by the risk of becoming victims of cybercriminals. Many users simply do not want their online activities to be known by family, friends, colleagues, employers, or government agencies.

The survey was conducted between November 2018 and January 2019 and included responses from 1,014 Russians. More than half (54%) admitted to regularly deleting their browser history. Additionally, 24% use fake names when registering on websites, 23% cover their computer cameras, 22% prefer to communicate through encrypted messengers, and 12% choose private search engines over Google.

Despite these efforts, 68% of respondents understand that it is impossible to remain completely anonymous in today’s world. While 74% are interested in ways to protect their privacy online, most are not willing to pay for it. Only 17% of Russians are ready to take paid courses or training to improve their anonymity skills.

Interestingly, although many are concerned about privacy, nearly 40% do not set passwords on their devices, and 64% do not check or change privacy settings on their devices, apps, or online services.