96% Indians Willing To Trade Privacy For Free WiFi; 31% Watched Porn Using Free WiFi Internet: Report

When it comes to WiFi and Free Internet, and then we Indians can do anything; even trade in their privacy. This startling fact was revealed via WiFi security study conducted by Norton anti-virus.

This privacy tradeoff for getting free Internet via WiFi (especially during this time, when average rate per GB of data has been reduced to ridiculous levels) is indeed surprising. Today, when the 9-judge bench at Supreme Court will decide the fate of privacy and Aadhaar Card, then this aspect can be considered.

Besides, another shocking truth related to free WiFi was revealed in the report: One out of three Indians have admitted that they watched some sort of porn content while browsing the Internet via Free WiFi.

Does this mean that we are both hungry and horny for free WiFi connectivity?

 One out of three Indians have admitted that they watched some sort of porn content while browsing the Internet via Free WiFi.

Is ‘Free’ such an important term for Indians?

The report said, “There is a deep divide between what people think is safe when it comes to using public Wi-Fi versus the reality..”

Free WiFi? 96% Of Indians Will Compromise Their Privacy

The report found that whopping 96% of Indians are willing to forget their privacy, and allow the provider to access their secrets, in order to receive free WiFi connectivity.

The report found that whopping 96% of Indians are willing to forget their privacy, and allow the provider to access their secrets, in order to receive free WiFi connectivity.

Watch a 3-minute advertisement (35%)Out of them, 73% of the respondents admitted that they do the following activities, in order to receive free WiFi internet:

• Allow access to emails (19%)
• Allow access to personal photographs (22%)
• Access to online dating profiles (16%)
• Access to contacts list (19%)
• Give permission to edit or store information from social media profiles (19%)

Norton has explicitly stated that such easy access to data in exchange for free WiFi can be easily exploited by cyber criminals.

Ritesh Chopra, Country Manager, Consumer Business Unit, Symantec, said, “What someone thinks is private on their personal device can easily be accessed by cyber criminals through insecure Wi-Fi Networks or even apps with privacy vulnerabilities”

Free WiFi = Free Porn?

Another aspect of free WiFi, which was revealed in the report is of porn viewing habits.

As per the report, 31% or one out of three Indians have admitted to watching porn using free WiFi access. While 44% stated that they watched the porn at work, 49% said that the porn access happened at hotel.

Globally, the report found that porn via free WiFi access was mainly accessed at:

• Hotel or AirBnB (40%)
• Cafe or Restaurant (30%)
• Work (29%)
• Airport (25%)
• On the street (24%)
• Train/Bus station (18%)
• Public restroom/Toilet (16%)

We had earlier reported that porn related searches were #1 while using Railtel’s free WiFi at railway stations in India.

Besides, cheap Internet access has increased porn consumption by 75%, even as time spent on porn sites has increased by 60%.

Interestingly, the report found that out of 15,000 respondents globally, 48% of Indian respondents admitted that they have accessed WiFi without the owner’s permissions.