HP Survey Uncovers Secret Behaviors Behind Screen Creeping and Peeking, Revealing Top Privacy Concerns
October 21 2019 - 9:00AM
As part of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM), HP Inc.
(NYSE: HPQ) today released the results of a survey that uncovers
secret behaviors of consumers to better understand today’s top
privacy concerns and motivations behind why people “creep” on PC
screens and “peek” at documents found in printer trays.
To further analyze how human behavior impacts both business and
personal decisions, HP commissioned a global survey of
approximately 3,000 general consumers and 1,500 office workers
across Canada, the U.K. and the United States. HP’s survey confirms
device screen creeping and peeking in office print trays is human
nature, but the act of ‘peeking’ at someone else’s screen – whether
it’s at home, at work or during a commute – is far more common than
we thought.
As we live more and more of our lives on our devices, how
consumers approach personal privacy online needs to evolve. Based
on the U.S. survey results, 7 in 10 Americans are worried about
online hackers, and with 73 percent believing it’s inevitable that
they will be compromised at least once, the prospect of being
creeped on is stealing our peace of mind. In fact, 85 percent of
Americans feel that other people should mind their own business and
not glance at someone else’s screen.
There is also a feeling of paranoia and discomfort among
respondents; 83 percent admit they restrict the content they look
at in public out of concern that others might see, and 8 in 10
admit to looking at others’ screen without them knowing. And while
few do so with malicious intent, 1 in 5 say they creep when they
could gain something from it. But be careful whose screen you look
at; 49 percent of respondents admit to either looking at or having
seen others looking at “not safe for work” content in public.
This phenomenon extends into the workplace, exposing
confidential information to coworkers who aren’t supposed to see
it. According to U.S. survey findings, 73 percent of office workers
creep on coworkers’ PC or phone screens, and 3 in 4 peek at
unclaimed documents left in office printer trays. This behavior
proves that office workers can often be opportunistic, with 44
percent of respondents admitting they would look at it, make a
copy, take a picture, or take it, if they found an unclaimed
document in the printer tray. More than half say they rush to the
printer every time they print something personal to prevent someone
else from seeing it first.
With most respondents feeling defenseless against creeping and
peeking behavior, the general public and office workers alike are
looking for PC and printer manufacturers to provide built-in
security features that give them more control of their privacy. In
fact, 72 percent of U.S. respondents wish there were a button they
could press on their PC that would make people unable to see their
screen, and 66 percent feel laptop manufacturers should make it
more difficult for others to look at their screen.
Further validating HP’s innovations in security and privacy, 78
percent of consumers say they would purchase a PC with better
security features—such as HP’s Webcam Kill Switch, Sure View and
Secure Print—found on HP Spectre and HP ENVY laptops, to help life
move without interruption and give people peace of mind to be
themselves.
To learn more about the survey conducted by HP, including the
full report, infographic and in-depth fact sheets with detailed
findings, visit the HP Creepers & Peekers Survey Press Kit at
the HP Press Center.
About HP Inc. HP Inc. creates technology
that makes life better for everyone, everywhere. Through our
product and service portfolio of personal systems, printers and 3D
printing solutions, we engineer experiences that amaze. More
information about HP Inc. is available at hp.com.
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