TonGerman surgical managers and politicians believe that the threat of cyberspace has reached a record level. In addition to classic hacking and data theft, decision makers are particularly afraid of manipulating opinions through false or inaccurate information. This is from the “2021 Cybersecurity Report” released by the polling agency on Tuesday Allensbach And the audit company Deloitte based in Berlin.
According to this, 77% of parliamentarians and executives regard data fraud as the highest cyber risk facing Germans. Two years ago, this value was 70%.
Worries about fake news have also risen to record highs: 75% of respondents believe that public opinion is at risk of manipulation through false or inaccurate news. Affected by the coronavirus pandemic, part of the campaign is being moved online. Concerns about manipulating public opinion through fake news are correspondingly great.
Social media is quite positive
“Due to digitalization and democratic culture, information, public opinion formation and social debate are changing,” explained Renate Quiver, Managing Director of the Allensbach Institute of Demography. “This provides opportunities, but it also brings considerable risks, especially when opinions are formed before the election.”
Despite concerns about fake news, filtering bubbles, and shit storms, policymakers have a fairly positive view of social media: most executives of large and medium-sized companies (58%) and most of the European Parliament members surveyed (60%) see It is an opportunity, not a risk.
However, Facebook, Twitter & Co.’s growing influence on the formation of political public opinion has been criticized. For 55% of members of Congress, the risk of democracy is greater than the risk of social media (2019: 50%). 86% of members of Congress view filtering bubbles as a great or great danger to democracy.
The so-called shit storm, that is, the avalanche of negative criticism in social networks, blogs, or website commenting functions, has a much lower value. 15% of business leaders report that their company has become a victim of a shit storm. Large companies with 1,000 or more employees are more susceptible than average. 22% of people have had such an incident at least once in the past.
Every second MP is exposed to Shitstorm
Compared with companies, members of Congress are more susceptible to storms. Almost every second of MPs (49%) has experienced at least one shit storm.
Eight years after American whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed the far-reaching surveillance programs of American and British intelligence agencies, concerns about government surveillance are fading. Currently, 48% of respondents are still afraid of surveillance from countries such as the United States or China. In 2017, the value was still 54%. At present, 9% of people are worried about being monitored by the German government; in 2017, 21% of people are worried about domestic espionage.
