Avira Asks About Online Reputation: Are You Confident or Naïve?

TETTNANG & MÜNCHEN, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A recent survey of its customers conducted by IT Security Expert Avira and Ruflotse, a leading online supplier for privacy and reputation protection, found that an almost equal number of respondents claim no negative information exists about them on the Internet while the other half has no idea if damaging info exists and doesn’t keep tabs on their online reputation.

“It’s critical to know what information exists about you online because if it’s negative it can damage your reputation, and not knowing isn’t much of an excuse in this generation of instant information.”

A survey question was presented to Avira’s 100 million customers worldwide during May, 2011: Be honest; is there any unpleasant or potentially damaging information about you on the Internet?

A) 40% - No, there is no negative information about me on the Internet.

B) 36% - No idea, I've never monitored whether anything bad about me exists.

C) 15% - Yes, unfortunately. If I knew how to do it, I would delete the information right away.

D) 6% - Yes, but I don't really care. It doesn't bother me.

E) 4% - Not any longer - I erased all the information.

1,555 respondents with a margin of error of +/- 2.49 percent.

“This survey highlighted the two main groups of Internet users: those that care about their online reputation and those that don’t bother to keep track,” said Travis Witteveen, COO Market & Operations from Avira. “It’s critical to know what information exists about you online because if it’s negative it can damage your reputation, and not knowing isn’t much of an excuse in this generation of instant information.”

Avira and Ruflotse offer these tips to stay safe online:

1. Personal Information: Less is best! - Do not make all information about you available online or on any social media site such as address, city, telephone, friends, preferences, relatives, etc. If this information is freely available then someone, with a little luck, could theoretically impersonate you even on most secure websites since the questions asked to retrieve a password are usually related to this type of information.

2. Passwords

a. Don't use the same password on all the social networking websites.

b. Do not use the same password for your email address and a website or instant messenger solution.

c. Never keep emails containing passwords in your email account folders since if your email account is compromised, then those other accounts will be easy pickings.

3. Monitor your account: With monitoring services like Ruflotse, users can monitor their own names as well as their children's names and are routinely updated on new entries on the Internet.

About Ruflotse

Ruflotse protects the privacy and the reputation of private users and companies on the Internet and on Facebook: The online service finds entries on users’ names, children’s names or companies on the Internet. If negative or unpleasant entries, comments, photos, or videos appear on the Internet, the reputation experts at Ruflotse will delete them upon request.

With its Facebook security package, Ruflotse also makes it possible to use Facebook without users having to worry about their reputation. Photo monitoring informs the users when new photos of them appear on Facebook. Child protection and content filters check comments and posts for content that puts children, careers, and businesses at risk. Surf protection warns of phishing attacks, viruses, and other malware and prevents them from spreading further.

As a leading online supplier for privacy and reputation protection, Ruflotse is constantly monitoring and checking the reputation of its customers online – for the benefit of their private lives, careers, and company image. Ruflotse is a product of myON-ID Media. Further information is available at www.ruflotse.com.

About Avira

Avira stands for extreme reliability and internet freedom around the globe. The company was founded 25 years ago on Tjark Auerbach's promise to "make software that does good things for my friends and family". Because of Avira's security expertise and award-winning antivirus software, today more than 100 million consumers and small businesses live free of spyware, phishing, worms and other internet based threats. The company delivers IT-security protection to computers, servers and networks both directly and in the cloud.

In addition to protecting the online world, Avira's CEO promotes well being in the offline world through the Auerbach Foundation, which supports charitable and social projects. The philosophy of the foundation is to help people to help themselves.

For more information, please visit www.avira.com or join the community at www.facebook.com/avira.