CompareMyMobile.com Poll Shows Lack of Mobile Data Removal Understanding in Recycling

A recent poll by Compare My Mobile was conducted to find out if consumers in the UK were aware that the mobile devices they had may not be secure in terms of the data held on them. Smartphones such as an iPhone, Galaxy S3 or Blackberry can store large amounts of personal information, are extremely portable but are often left unprotected without any security precautions in place. Andrew Beckett, Founder of CompareMyMobile.com says "What is extremely interesting is the attitudes toward this type of data storage and public opinion on just how secure our personal information is when stored on a device that we use so frequently every day but could misplace or have stolen at any time. We selected a sample size of 300 individuals and asked them a simple question; Do you think the data on your phone is secure?"

He continues, "The results can be at best described as interesting, but at worst be interpreted as a set of users who don’t fully understand the implications of storing sensitive data on such a device. Out of the 300 people polled 202 were male with 98 females also taking part in the survey. Thirteen percent of those individuals believe that manufacturers of smartphones secure their information as standard with no further data protection steps being necessary on their part.

The CompareMyMobile poll showed that 14.67% of the polled individuals - 14.36% of which were male - had taken an additional step of installing a third-party security application on their device although no additional information was taken about the legitimacy of the used application or the level of protection that is affords the user. Seven percent of those users had decided not to look for an additional security application but instead utilize some of the operating systems default security measure by enable a simple digit based pin lock that prevents alien users from gaining access to the device. "

The continued rise in sales of portable devices with large storage solutions such as smartphones, tablets, thumb drives and laptops is testament to how lives are changing and becoming increasingly connected with the digital world. The aforementioned types of devices are extremely convenient and easy to use due to their extreme levels of portability, but as the technology advances and becomes a more integral part of peoples lives so does our reliance on it and the need to store more and more information.

From the Compare My Mobile poll, the most concerning statistic and possibly one that is more representative of the average smartphone user on the whole is that 35.67% of users have never considered mobile device security before and are happy to fill their phones with personal data with no thought given to whether or not that data is secure. The remaining users are well-aware that the data isn’t entirely secure but have not done anything about it which is another worrying statistic.

Andrew concludes "Every individual using a mobile device, regardless of whether it is for personal or business use, should have an obligation to make sure that their data is protected. With users regularly sending and receiving emails, accessing bank accounts through mobile apps or storing pictures of their children or loved ones it is imperative that steps are taken to protect the integrity of that information."

About CompareMyMobile

Founded in 2009, CompareMyMobile.com is the UK's #1 source for independent mobile phone, tablet, sat nav, laptop, iPad, iPod and games console recycling price comparison. It delivers customers confidence in making the difficult decision of where to recycle their old phone safely and for the most money. Compare My Mobile is 100% impartial, comparing prices from more than 40 recycling stores.

Media Contacts

Andrew Beckett
CompareMyMobile.com,
Tel: +44 (0) 7810 882 278
Email: andrew(at)comparemymobile(dot)com