Consumer survey shows which tech products people trust the most to protect their private data
Consumers who care about privacy think that Apple iPhone is the most trustworthy smartphone. However, people picked Samsung when asked about the most trustworthy laptop brand. When asked about the smart speaker, which provides the most privacy, the most respondents mentioned Google Nest.
When it comes to the least trustworthy products in consumers’ opinion, Americans name OnePlus phones, Asus laptops, and Sonos smart speakers.
This is according to recent survey by cybersecurity company NordVPN which asked 1,022 people in the US who stated they cared about privacy which tech brands they trusted the most.
| Smartphone ranking: | Laptop ranking: | Smart speaker ranking: |
| Apple iPhone – 69.9% | Samsung Galaxy Book – 67.3% | Google Nest – 59.6% |
| Google Pixel – 66.5% | Apple Macbook – 64.6% | Amazon Alexa – 55.2% |
| Samsung Galaxy – 66.4% | HP – 63.7% | Apple HomePod – 53.1% |
| LG – 53.8% | Dell – 61.3% | Bose Home – 43% |
| Motorola – 44.5% | Lenovo – 38.9% | JBL Link – 31.3% |
| Huawei – 27.9% | Surface – 33.6% | Sonos – 29.3% |
| OnePlus -23.9% | Asus – 31.5% |
“Over the years, we have seen a clear trend — people care about privacy when choosing which products to buy. However, this Black Friday, it is important to have a 360-degree approach to shopping online. This means paying attention to the product you choose to purchase as well as the seller itself, what information you choose to share with that company, and how secure your internet connection is,” says Daniel Markuson, cybersecurity expert at NordVPN.
What does the 360-degree approach to secure shopping online mean?
- Private internet connection
First, a user should make sure their internet connection is secure. It’s never a good idea to shop online while being connected to a public Wi-Fi network at a cafe, hotel, city park, or any other public place. Public Wi-Fi networks are common hunting grounds for hackers and data snoopers, who try to access a user’s personal and financial information, such as credit card details.
To protect their internet connection, users can use a VPN, which encrypts internet traffic and secures the user’s data.
- Trustworthy online store
Users should ideally stick to websites they trust or have bought from before because some online stores are created by scammers. Otherwise, it is important to do research: Do they interact on social media? Are there any customer reviews? Are there any spam complaints? Users should also check the email address, phone number, or physical address of the online store they chose. If the user can’t find any contact information, it might be a fake company.
“Users can also make their online store selection easier by sticking to HTTPS websites only and avoiding HTTP. The ‘S’ means that the connection is made through a secure protocol and the data is encrypted properly,” says Daniel Markuson.
- Secure product
Privacy is especially important when it comes to buying tech gear. Smartphones, laptops, and Internet of Things devices collect and store a lot of vulnerable information about their users. So it is important to check privacy features before buying any new product, especially when it comes to IoT devices, which still do not have international privacy standards.
- Realistic offer
If the deal seems too good to be true, it is probably fake. Extremely low prices, when compared to similar stores, may mean that the website exists only to get users’ personal information.
- No oversharing
“The last step is entering all the information needed to complete an order, but it is extremely important not to rush before entering your personal information,” says Daniel Markuson of NordVPN.
A user should consider thoroughly whether all the information requested by the website is needed for the purchase. If they notice something suspicious (for example, an online store asking for marital status or place of birth), it is better to stay safe and pick another website.
- Checking bank statement
Once the purchase is complete, the user should check their bank statement and make sure that the amount of money taken from their account is the same as indicated on the website.
ABOUT NORDVPN
NordVPN is the world’s most advanced VPN service provider, used by millions of internet users worldwide. NordVPN provides double VPN encryption and Onion Over VPN and guarantees privacy with zero tracking. One of the key features of the product is Threat Protection, which blocks malicious websites, malware, trackers, and ads. NordVPN is very user friendly, offers one of the best prices on the market, and has over 5,000 servers in 60 countries worldwide. For more information: nordvpn.com.