Europeans are concerned about digital identity theft and the role of AI in making life online less safe, new research from Okta, Inc, an independent identity provider, shows.

The research which polled over 4,000 consumers across the UK, Germany, France, and the Netherlands, reveals that 92% of Britons surveyed are worried about digital identity theft.

Over half (56%) of British consumers have increased their awareness of their digital footprint over the past year, with increasing cyber-attacks (33%) and the rise of AI (28%) given as the most common reasons for this.

Furthermore, the majority of British consumers think that AI has made the online environment less safe (56%) and increases the likelihood of digital identity attacks (58%). Over half of French consumers (51%) are very worried about digital identity theft, as opposed to 37% in the UK, 36% in Germany and 29% in the Netherlands.

Okta’s 2024 European Consumer Identity Survey also revealed several key findings regarding the everyday practices and concerns of European digital consumers.

Basic Cyber Hygiene Not Enough to Quell Hacks

Two-thirds (69%) of Britons surveyed know someone personally who has had their personal details hacked. This may be informing increased awareness of basic cyber hygiene practices: 43% report using different passwords for every online account, while only 10% use the same passwords for everything.

Online Banking a Top Target

Consumers consider online banking to be top target list for cyber-criminals (60%). However, they are significantly less worried about social media and workplace accounts, other common targets for cyber-criminals.

Only 12% of consumers think their social media profiles are primary targets for cyber-criminals despite it being a source of personal details, and 2% thought the same of their workplace accounts.

Secure Login Remains Headache for Many

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of British consumers plan to improve their digital identity strategy to get more secure, and consider protecting their online identity as a matter of personal responsibility (53%). A quarter (25%) believe in a shared responsibility between the individual, government and businesses for protecting online identity.

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However, British consumers face some common obstacles. 77% report frustration when logging in to their online accounts. This comes despite the fact that over half (55%) of respondents would likely spend more money if the login process was simple, secure and frictionless. Notably, 41% of respondents are comfortable with businesses using AI to make the login experience easier, faster and more secure,

“Identity is the entrance to any experience in a digital first-world. With 80% of cybersecurity attacks stemming from credential abuse, identity-based attacks have become a top method for bad actors”, says Matt Ellard, SVP, GM EMEA at Okta. “Business leaders need to evolve quickly to adopt a rigorous security strategy and work culture to future-proof their organisation in the era of AI.

At Okta we’re leading by example, and are committed to sharing our own experience and best practice with the industry to fight against identity-based attacks. This is the only way we will be able to free everyone to safely use any technology.”