Cybersecurity. Identity theft, data leakage, hate… What are we afraid of on the Internet

Hate on the Internet was one of the topics of a comprehensive study on cybersecurity in Poland, from which report published on October 3 by the Digital Poland Foundation. It contains the results of two studies: the first concerned the challenges Poland faces and Poles' attitudes towards related technologies. The second one covered the topic of cybersecurity: which online activities Poles associate with threats, what are our experiences with online fraud, whether and how we care for data security, and how we deal with hate speech.

The results are not optimistic – as many as 65%. Poles are worried about their safety on the Internet. The greatest concerns include identity theft or account takeover (61%), installing malware on an electronic device (55%), and money being extorted or stolen (54%). Online activities such as using electronic banking and conducting payment transactions (38%), online shopping and selling (36%), and using e-mail (30%) are perceived as particularly unsafe.

Whereas 30 percent respondents admitted that when using the Internet, they were afraid of disinformation and fake news, and 28 percent – that their image will be used to create a deep fake using artificial intelligence. The highest percentage (40%) of those afraid of disinformation and fake news were in the 18-29 age group.

In turn, 16% of people are afraid of a deep fake as a hard-to-recognize image or sound manipulation using artificial intelligence. respondents.

36 percent Poles have personally experienced attacks or online fraud or cybersecurity incidents in the last year. The most common were phishing (41%), scam (38%) and spoofing (27%). Every fifth respondent experienced account takeover in social media/online stores/forums, etc. Almost one third of Poles have ever received information about the theft or leak of personal data.

Increasingly easier access to the Internet and the feeling (not always correct) of one's own anonymity result in pathological and evil tendencies of its users being revealed on the Internet. In real life they would be quickly stigmatized or even punished, but in the virtual world they take a huge toll. Hate speech (or hating) is a cultural phenomenon that would not have become so common without the Internet. It is a byproduct of digitalization.

More than one fifth of Poles surveyed (22%) admitted that when using the Internet, they are afraid of hate, hate speech, violation of their personal dignity, ridicule or intimidation.. However, what is important, younger people, aged 18-29, were much more likely to be afraid of it than respondents in older age groups (32% vs. 17%).

The unbridled flow of messages that defame, denigrate or discriminate against people because of their appearance, race, origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, etc. causes as much damage as malware or scams. It arouses fear, ruins the sense of security online, and leads to further destructive behavior.

As the report cited here shows, many of us already notice this. When asked if they had ever experienced hate speech on the Internet, 35 percent surveyed Poles answered yes. This experience applies more to men (42 percent of respondents answered affirmatively) than to women (28 percent).

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Age is noteworthy: as many as 50 percent have encountered hate speech. respondents aged 18-29 and as many as 46 percent 30-year-olds. These are the highest rates when it comes to age groups. And very disturbing: young people seem to be the main victims of hate. When asked whether there is too much hate speech on the Internet, as many as 81 percent respondents in the 18-19 age group answered “yes”. And they are the ones who spend the most time on social media today.

The majority of users – 74% – are already tired of hate speech spreading on the Internet. of surveyed Poles claim that there is too much of it. In all age groups, when asked whether the fight against this phenomenon should be legally regulated, approximately 70 percent answered yes. However, 64 percent Poles are in favor of introducing the so-called blind lawsuits to fight anonymous aggression in the form of hate. The sense of anonymity makes attackers feel unpunished.

Two teams have been established in the current parliament with the task of expanding the scope of legal protection for people aggrieved by cyberhatery, i.e. developing statutory changes stigmatizing cyberhatery. On December 13, 2023, eight members of the Civic Coalition were appointed Parliamentary team for counteracting cyberhatery. On May 27, 2024, ten members of the Polska2050-Trzecia Droga club established Parliamentary team to fight hate.

However, the first team met only once, did not prepare any legal act and its activities ceased there. KO MP Marcin Józefaciuk, chairman of the Parliamentary team for counteracting cyberhatery, explains that due to the creation of the second team, the activities of the one he chairs have been suspended. – Cyberhate and hate speech are not topics on which we should compete. They were more advanced in the work on the act, admits MP Józefaciuk. – Members of our team, mainly me, meet in schools with students and parents during workshops and lectures on cybercrime, hate and how to protect yourself against it – he adds. According to him, such meetings are an opportunity to obtain the opinions of interested parties, because the expectations of young people are not always the same as the proposals of adults. This applies, for example, to restricting the Internet, distinguishing freedom of speech from hate, or penalties for cyber-hatery.

On August 30 this year, a group of MPs from the Poland 2050-Third Way club submitted to the Sejm bill amending the Code of Civil Procedure and certain other acts. It assumes the introduction of the institution of the so-called blind lawsuit. This would apply to a situation where someone becomes the object of cyberhate from an anonymous account: then they could refer the case to the district court, which within seven days could submit a request to the service provider (administrator of the website through which the infringement of personal rights occurred, telecommunications operator) for sending data, i.e. the IP number of the infringer. Failure to provide such data without justified reasons would result in a fine ranging from one hundred thousand to one million zlotys.

As we read in the justification for the bill: “From the perspective of a person who does not know the details of the person violating his or her personal rights on the Internet, the introduction of the institution of a 'blind lawsuit' will enable the exercise of the 'right to a court' provided for in Article 45(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland. “. The institution of a blind lawsuit is to be the first step in the fight against anonymous hate. MEPs hope that the very fact of introducing such a possibility “may reduce the number of such phenomena and serve a deterrent and preventive function.” The project was sent for legislative review, and then the applicants were asked to complete the justification, which is expected to take several weeks.

MP Łukasz Osmalak from the Polska2050-TD club, chairman of the Parliamentary team to fight hate, explains: – Indeed, this project has been reduced to just a blind lawsuit. Since during consultations and meetings within the team there were many divergent opinions regarding IT solutions, we focused on ensuring that the act would give the injured party the opportunity to file a blind lawsuit for now, and we left any further legal options to fight cyberhatery for the future. The IT environment is not able to provide simple solutions that can be implemented quickly.

IT discrepancies include, among others: how to track down people engaging in hate and spreading hate speech online, who would do it, on what basis and what tools would be used for this purpose.

Replying to the comment that the draft anti-hater law is modest at the moment, MP Osmalak responds: – But now, if you are being anonymously hated, you have no tools to fight it. The advantage of this project is that you will get a tool with which you can start fighting. I hope that the bill will also have a preventive effect. Moreover, if the court comes to the conclusion that this potential hate is dangerous, in my opinion it has the tools. The question is whether he will want to use them.

The possibility of prosecuting hate by private prosecution is supposed to be some help when the courts are overloaded, but it is known that court cases drag on for a long time anyway. – That's right, but following this line of reasoning, we could do nothing at all – says MP Osmalak. He hopes that the draft hate law will be considered by parliamentary committees by the end of the year.

Report by the Digital Poland Foundation “Technology in the service of society. Will Poles become society 5.0?” shows that problems with innovative technologies and digitalization are not the ones that Poles consider the most important. The main issues for the state to solve are still too long queues to doctors, high prices, aging society and bureaucracy. But also environmental protection and the availability of housing for young people.

However, we have a positive attitude towards technological innovations and digitalization – as many as 73%. respondents believe that new technologies make everyday life easier, and 72 percent – that digital skills increase the chances of finding a better job. On the other hand, as many as 71 percent respondents admit that due to technological innovations we talk to each other too rarely, and according to 27 percent Poles, the use of new technologies leads to serious diseases. We also remain distrustful of artificial intelligence (AI): according to 54% of respondents, its development threatens the maintenance of jobs.

Despite these concerns, we see the advantages of new technologies. 59 percent respondents confirm their readiness to use a smartphone/tablet for school or university studies. We support the digitization of healthcare: 56 percent. is in favor of buying prescription drugs online, 55 percent is ready to anonymously share its medical data for scientific research. But only four out of 10 respondents are willing to use innovative payment methods – using a fingerprint or face.

“It is surprising that new technologies are most appreciated by people aged 60+ (this may be due to the specific nature of the study – the survey was completed only by older people who actually use technology) – 77 percent – and middle-aged people (40-49 years old) – 76 percent. The youngest people appreciate them the least (66 percent), which may indicate that they do not yet fully understand their true meaning, because in this age group they are associated mainly with entertainment,” comments Dr. Hab. Urszula Soler, prof. Catholic University of Lublin. Anna Streżyńska, former Minister of Digital Affairs, points out the same: “In the case of young people, it is surprising that those whom we call digital natives, that they were born with a cell phone in their hand, question the importance and need for technology in such a statistically significant way. “.

The study was conducted in August 2024 using the CAWI method on a representative sample of 1,000 Poles aged 18-75 (NIQ GfK).