Nearly half (48 per cent) of adults in the US have used the same password for more than one online account, according to a recent survey by AARP, a not-for-profit organisation with 38 million members. Reuse of passwords, which can increase the risk of fraud, is most common among respondents aged 18-49, the research found. Of the 2,024 respondents in the survey, 47 per cent also reported that they have experienced fraudulent charges on their credit or debit card.
Conducted in July 2018, the research also found that 43 per cent of active adult Facebook users have used their Facebook account to log in to other accounts, but more than 60 per cent reported having changed some of the default Facebook privacy settings to guard against unwanted access to their information. Here, older respondents were not as proactive. Only 39 per cent of those aged 65 or over took this precaution, compared with 56 per cent of those aged between 50-64 and 73 per cent of those aged 18-49.
For more, see AARP’s survey report: “Up for Grabs: Taking Charge of Your Digital Identity.”