Average Canadian Internet User Owns $32,000 in Digital Assets

McAfee, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Intel Corporation, released the results of a global survey designed to study consumers’ online surfing habits and assess their attitudes towards Web security and data protection.

The McAfee Digital Assets Survey revealed that Canadian consumers value their digital assets at more than $32,000. Globally, Internet users place an average value of $35,000 on these assets. Despite this, almost one in five (17%) of Canadian users, and 14% of global users, do not have comprehensive security software on all of their digital devices.

Research firm MSI International surveyed more than 7,000 Internet users in 12 countries about their online behaviours and security practices, and found that on average, global respondents stored 3,379 digital files on at least one digital device. 55% of those files were considered impossible to restore if lost and not backed up properly.

"Total online security starts with the user," said Brenda Moretto , manager of Canadian consumer sales at McAfee. "Most of our personal and professional lives reside online, and with so much at stake, we cannot allow cybercriminals easy access to our personal information and online identities. Take advantage of the powerful security software that’s readily available to you, and protect yourself and your loved ones."

While 77% of Canadian consumers listed identity theft, financial theft and fraud as their top security concerns, cost and perceived lack of need were the top two reasons cited for not using security protection on all of their devices. 34% of Canadians believe they don’t need it, and 39% think it’s too expensive.

In Canada, users stored an average of 2,584 digital files on at least one digital device. 51% of those assets were considered impossible to retrieve if lost and not backed up properly. These assets include entertainment files, personal memories, personal communications, personal records, career information, and hobbies and creative projects.

McAfee LiveSafe service is an unlimited cross-device security service to use facial and voice recognition technology to protect users’ digital lives. It offers McAfee Anti-Theft, which utilizes Intel Anti-Theft Technology to protect consumers’ personal information in the event that their PCs are lost or stolen, Intel Identity Protection, a tamper-resistant hardware authentication mechanism, and facial and voice recognition software. It features a cloud-based ‘safety deposit box’ for users to store sensitive documents and records, simplified password management for safe username and password storage, and also provides McAfee customer support.

McAfee LiveSafe service will be available beginning in July 2013 at select retailers for $19.99 CDN for a 12-month subscription when purchased with a selected new PC or tablet, and $79.99 CDN for a 12-month subscription for consumers’ existing PCs and tablets. It will come pre-installed on ultrabook devices and PCs from Dell starting on June 9, 2013.