Majority of UAE residents think their smart device is spying on them
YouGov MENA research deeps dives into how people feel about technology and the concerns they have about data privacy
Half of the people in the UAE think that their smart devices are spying on their lives. A majority (55%) of residents believe that their devices record personal information without their knowledge. The results show that men are more likely than women to think like that (58% vs 50%).
YouGov’s data finds that the most commonly owned devices are also the ones people are most likely to think are monitoring them. While 85% of people own a smartphone, 55% believe the technology is spying on them. Similarly, when it comes to a computer/laptop with a webcam, the figures are 57% (who use) and 36% (who think it is spying on them), respectively.
The research also, shows that many UAE residents have concerns about their online privacy. Around half find their personal documents or images being automatically uploaded on to the cloud very concerning (49%), and almost as many (48%) consider their personal details getting auto filled during a transaction quite troubling.
The data used for the survey was collected from YouGov Omnibus, which is a fast and cost-effective service to find out about people’s opinions, attitudes and behaviours. To know more about YouGov Omnibus, click here.
