Privacy on smartphones: A European comparison
Hardly any other device is entrusted with as much private information as your own smartphone. This makes comprehensive data protection features integrated into the operating system and the individual customization of all privacy settings all the more important. Just recently, innovation leader Apple introduced new, stricter data protection rules on the iPhone operating system iOS. Much to the annoyance of data-hungry companies, customers can now decide for themselves which apps are allowed to collect data for marketing purposes and which are not. Shortly afterwards, Google followed suit with its Android operating system. This is not the first time Apple has positioned itself as a pioneer in smartphone security and data protection.
We conducted a small study to examine the state of smartphone security among users in Europe. To this end, we evaluated relevant survey data from 25 European countries, such as the prevalence of security systems and the use of privacy settings. This was then used to determine a smartphone security score. A maximum of 600 points were available. The closer a country is to this value, the higher its smartphone security level can be rated.
Source: Manufacturer's specifications Get the data Created with Datawrapper
High level of data protection in Germany, room for improvement in Spain
With 439/600 points, smartphone users in Germany have an above-average level of security. 87 percent of Germans know that their smartphone has security features and privacy settings. 65 percent of respondents from Germany even actively use these features. 97 percent report that they have never had any problems with viruses or other malware. Data from Austria also shows a broad understanding of data protection and privacy on smartphones. Austria's smartphone security score is 412/600 points. 98 percent of Austrians know that they can customize their privacy settings.
North Macedonia and Spain in particular have some catching up to do in terms of smartphone security and data protection. With 216/600 points, Spain performs below average in a European comparison. Only one in three Spaniards even knows that many smartphones already have a security system pre-installed.
The spread of Apple's iPhone has only a marginal impact on the level of data protection and security in Europe. Countries where Apple has a high market share, such as Ireland, Denmark, and Norway, also score relatively high on the smartphone security score. However, there are also individual exceptions, such as the United Kingdom. Countries where Apple has only a small market share, however, score comparatively poorly in terms of security levels. These countries include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, and Spain, for example.
Methodology
Country selection:
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Romania, Hungary, United Kingdom
Factors, definitions, and sources for survey values
Security in the operating system:
Percentage of respondents whose smartphones have a security system integrated into the operating system
Security through apps:
Percentage of respondents who have installed a third-party security system, such as an app provider
Knowledge of smartphone security:
Percentage of respondents who know that their smartphone has a security system installed
Active users:
Percentage of respondents who customize their privacy settings Source: All information is based on data from the Statistical Office of the European Union on “Trust, security, and privacy - smartphones.”
Secure users:
Percentage of respondents who say they have never had security problems
Market share of Apple iOS:
Information on this was taken manually for all countries except Poland from the source Statcounter (as of August 2021). For Poland, Devise Atlas was used as the source.
Calculation:
Advertisers have the option of accessing data on personal characteristics for targeted advertising. Advertisers can do this via social media or well-known search engines, for example. However, the GDPR gives individuals a high degree of control over how advertisers can collect, store, and use their data. The higher the score, the better a person can protect their personal data from advertisers. The data was taken from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development over the last twelve months.