The Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat) recently published statistical data about Internet access and use in the European Union (EU) which form part of the results of a survey conducted in 2016 about the usage of information and communication technologies in households and by individuals.
The data show that more than 80% of people aged between 16 and 74 years old used the Internet in 2016 on different types of devices. 79% of people used mobile phones or smartphones, 64% used laptops or netbooks, 54% used desktop computers and 44% used tablets.
The data published also revealed that 71% of Internet users provided some type of personal information online, and many indicated that they had carried out different actions to control access to this information – namely, 46% did not allow the use of personal information for advertising and 40% limited access to their profile or content on social networks.
In addition, 37% of users read information about privacy policies before providing personal information and 31% restricted access to their geographic location.
Further information:
- Internet use by individuals in 2016 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/7771139/9-20122016-BP-EN.pdf/f023d81a-dce2-4959-93e3-8cc7082b6edd
