The survey, commissioned by cybersecurity and VPN provider NordVPN, involved 10,800 participants from 11 countries, including 1,000 Canadians. It found that 36 percent of Canadians would “unsubscribe” from the Internet if they could. In addition, 48 per cent of Canadians felt they were being used by companies collecting their data, while 47 per cent expressed concerns that someone might eventually hack into their devices. “While removing yourself from the Internet sounds like a good idea for those concerned about exposing their personal information to the wrong entities, you have to ask yourself if wiping the slate clean is still possible in our digital-dominant world,” said NordVPN . Digital privacy expert Daniel Markuson in a press release on Tuesday. Canada was the country with the highest percentage of respondents who wanted to see their financial information removed. Of Canadian respondents, 60 per cent said they would most like to see their personal financial information erased from the internet, compared to 56 per cent of Australians and 52 per cent of Britons. Unflattering photos, embarrassing moments, old dating and social network profiles and past employment history were other examples of information Canadians said they wanted deleted. Last year, a federal judge ruled that Google search results fall under Canada’s privacy laws, a victory for digital privacy activists who have been calling for Canada to affirm the “right to be forgotten.” This case involved a man who asked Google to decompress articles that appeared in searches of his name. NordVPN recommends deleting old social media profiles you don’t use or setting them to private. The company also encourages sending a takedown request to the web giants, asking them to remove any information they have about you. “While this isn’t a guarantee that they’ll comply, many will, and it’s a good way to get companies like Facebook to remove the data they still hold on you after you delete your account,” says NordVPN.
