The results of a recent study have disturbing news for Americans. Every year, service provider NordVPN conducts what it calls the National Privacy Test, meant to evaluate internet users’ digital habits, privacy awareness and online risk tolerance. While the US did well overall in the privacy test, it flunked the phishing portion, with only 31% of respondents knowing how to spot phishing websites.
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Phishing websites try to look like official sites with logins and requests for information. These fake pages trick people into revealing account logins, financial information and personal details, which are then stolen and often sold. The low scores in the US compared poorly with other countries, including the UK, whose residents scored the highest marks in spotting phishing attempts.
However, overall scores put the US above the UK and tied with Germany in fourth place for cybersecurity and online privacy awareness. The test, which included 185 countries and over 30,000 participants, covered topics such as creating strong passwords, where to store them, and the dangers of using AI for work tasks. The results suggest the US has a particular weakness when it comes to avoiding phishing attempts, but performs well in other security areas.
“US users face an exceptionally high volume of phishing attempts due to the country’s large digital economy and the concentration of major tech companies,” NordVPN CTO Marijus Briedis told CNET. “This paradoxically may lead to a form of ‘alert fatigue’ where users become desensitized to warning signs.”
And why is the UK better at spotting scams?
“The UK’s stronger performance may reflect more systematic integration of digital safety education in schools and workplaces, or more effective public awareness campaigns that focus on teaching people the specific red flags to watch for,” Briedis said.
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