FutureWire - futurism and emerging technology

Friday, January 14, 2005

Internet Users Giving Up on Broadband

They're clearly in the minority for now, but some Internet users are so fed up with viruses, spam and spyware that they're cancelling their broadband connections. Some are switching to old-fashioned dialup connections, while others have abandoned the Net altogether. For any business that depends on the consumer-driven Internet for profits, this is an ominous trend.

Spyware appears to be the main culprit here. One estimate suggests that up to 80% of the world's computers contain some amount of spyware -- not even Bill Gates himself is immune! Another study found that over 30% of consumers surveyed were making fewer purchases online because of security concerns. Considering these statistics, technology and Internet-based firms everywhere should be making secure computing their number one priority... for their own sake was well as their customers'.

Source: Los Angeles Times