Avira Asks About Online Reputation: Are You Confident or Naive?

Avira Security Web Survey Finds 40% Confident That No Damaging Information About Them Exists, While 36% Have No Clue

Tettnang/München, Germany, July 5, 2011 – A recent survey of its customers conducted by Avira and Ruflotse found that an almost equal number of respondents claim no negative information exists about them on the Internet while the other half has no idea if damaging info exists and doesn’t keep tabs on their online reputation.

A survey question was presented to Avira’s 100 million customers worldwide during May, 2011: Be honest; is there any unpleasant or potentially damaging information about you on the Internet?

• 36% – No idea, I've never monitored whether anything bad about me exists.
• 15% – Yes, unfortunately. If I knew how to do it, I would delete the information right away.
• 6% – Yes, but I don't really care. It doesn't bother me.
• 4% – Not any longer - I erased all the information.
• 40% – No, there is no negative information about me on the Internet.

1,555 respondents with a margin of error of +/- 2.49 percent.

“This survey highlighted the two main groups of Internet users: those that care about their online reputation and those that don’t bother to keep track,” said Travis Witteveen, COO Market & Operations from Avira. “It’s critical to know what information exists about you online because if it’s negative it can damage your reputation and not knowing isn’t much of an excuse in this generation of instant information.”

Avira and Ruflotse offer these tips to stay safe online:

1. Personal Information: Less is best! – Do not make all information about you available online or on any social media site such as address, city, telephone, friends, preferences, relatives, etc. - If this information is freely available, someone with a little luck could theoretically impersonate you even on most secure websites since the questions asked to retrieve a password are usually related to this type of information.
    
2. Passwords
   • Don't use the same password on all the social networking websites.
   • Do not use the same password for your email address and a website or instant messenger solution.
   • Never keep emails containing passwords in your email account folders since if your email account is compromised, then those other accounts will be easy pickings.
      
3. Monitor your account: With monitoring services like Ruflotse Protect Plus, users can monitor their own names as well as their children's names and are routinely updated on new entries on the Internet.

About Avira

Avira wants its customers to ‘live free’ from spyware, phishing, viruses and other internet-based threats.
The company was founded 25 years ago on Tjark Auerbach's promise to "make software that does good things for my friends and family." More than 100 million consumers and small businesses now depend upon Avira’s security expertise and award-winning antivirus software, making the company the number-two market share leader globally. Avira provides IT-security protection to computers, smartphones, servers and networks, delivered as both software and cloud-based services.

In addition to protecting the online world, Avira's CEO promotes well-being in the offline world through the Auerbach Foundation, which supports charitable and social projects. The philosophy of the foundation is to help people to help themselves.

For more information, please visit www.avira.com or join the community at www.facebook.com/avira.