The value of our Mobile Phone’s Data

On average it is worth $14,000 - according to a research, conducted by the Ponemon Institute, sponsored by Lookout

People are addicted to their mobile devices

Around 73% of people are addicted to their mobile devices and spend an average of 7 hours/day on them. More than 50% even spend more than 7 hours/day on their mobile phones.

What we use our mobile devices for?

88% send personal texts and email
76% listen to music
73% manage calendars
66% access social media site

The five most important uses for their mobile devices are a mixture of personal and work related tasks:

55% use it to send and receive personal texts and email
53% use it to make purchase electronically and/or using e-wallets
51% use it to create and maintain contact lists
44% use it to access corporate email and send/receive documents
36% use it to share personal documents such as digital photos

However, 59% worry about their mobile device being hacked or infected by malware, but 51% do not take any steps to protect their mobile data.

What to do about this?

Lock your mobile phone so that in case of loss or theft your data doesn’t get accessed. On top of that protect your mobile phone data with encryption.

Be aware what applications you install on your phone and what permissions you grant them.

Nowadays, we can’t imagine a world without our mobile devices and being online, but every one of us is responsible to take control for their own communications devices and choose carefully how to use them.

What we want is for people to be able to make better informed decisions and, more importantly, better equipped to take control of their privacy.