Edward Snowden Revelations Not Having Much Impact on Internet Users

Despite the shocking revelations by Edward Snowden about the degree of surveillance carried out by the US National Security Agency (NSA), most internet users across the world do not appear to be taking proper measures to be safe online.

In a survey of more than 23,000 internet users conducted by the Centre for International Governance Innovation, just 60% have heard of Snowden.

In addition, merely 39% among them have changed their online behaviour.

However, 64% of all respondents admitted to being more concerned about online privacy compared to a year ago and 62% stated their concern about foreign government agencies spying on their online activities.

The former NSA contractor leaked millions of classified documents to the media, revealing mass surveillance programmes of the NSA and the GCHQ such as phone tapping and snooping on internet activities.

The survey participants saw the biggest threat to online privacy coming from criminal hackers, as four in five respondents expressed their fear of criminals accessing their bank accounts or personal photos or messages.

An infographic produced by Statista based on the survey is given below. It shows how internet users responded after the Snowden revelations.