
SAN FRANCISCO & OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Oct. 22, 2013 – Consumers rely on smartphones and tablets more than ever before. From staying in touch with family and friends to keeping up-to-date on corporate email, mobile devices have become our most personal computers. Mobile phones were once used simply as a means to communicate, but today they carry peoples’ most sensitive information, like banking credentials, photos and contacts. Lookout and Sprint (NYSE: S) today announced the results of a national Harris survey revealing smartphone consumers’ mobile behaviors, habits and concerns about privacy.
The findings show wireless users have a striking attachment to mobile devices and a concern about the exposure of their personal information. Sixty-three percent of people surveyed check their smartphone at least once an hour (9 percent check every five minutes), and 33 percent of people would fear the contents of their mobile phone being projected on a big screen. While consumers recognize mobile security is an important issue, people still don’t take the right precautions; only 44 percent of people surveyed set a PIN or a passcode on their phone.
The majority of Americans surveyed with smartphones said they typically don’t go an hour without checking their phones. Unsurprisingly, the amount of time between phone-checks goes down among the youngest age groups and increased markedly as age goes up.
Smartphones hold a treasure trove of personal data, and people want to keep that data private. In another independent survey, 15 percent of those surveyed say they’ve caught someone in the act of snooping, with a spouse (38 percent), friend (24 percent), child (18 percent), co-worker (11 percent), other (14 percent) as the culprit. However, nearly 1 in 5 (19 percent) mobile phone owners admit to looking in someone else's phone without their permission.*
People are most concerned about someone seeing the following information without their permission on their mobile phone:
Despite being deeply attached to their mobile phones, Americans surveyed exhibit risky behavior when using their mobile phone.
With smartphones being critical to everyday life, there are a few basic steps that Sprint and Lookout recommend:
These insights come on the heels of a partnership between Sprint and Lookout to bring mobile security to more consumers. Lookout is now offered on select Android™-powered Sprint devices, in store and online, making mobile security more accessible than ever. Download the Lookout app for Android-powered smartphones from Google Play or directly from your Sprint Android device.
*Lookout commissioned Google Consumer Survey, January 2013
This survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Lookout and Sprint among 1,003 Americans, 18 and older who own a mobile phone between August 12-19, 2013. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
Lookout is an integrated endpoint-to-cloud security company. Our mission is to secure and empower our digital future in a privacy-focused world where mobility and cloud are essential to all we do for work and play. We enable consumers and employees to protect their data, and to securely stay connected without violating their privacy and trust. Lookout is trusted by millions of consumers, the largest enterprises and government agencies, and partners such as AT&T, Verizon, VMware, Vodafone, Microsoft, Google, and Apple. Headquartered in San Francisco, Lookout has offices in Amsterdam, Boston, London, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto and Washington, D.C. To learn more, visit www.lookout.com and follow Lookout on its blog, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Contact Lookout PR: press@lookout.com