Indians love to share their passwords with their partners: McAfee report

McAfee has revealed key discoveries from its study, titled, Three’s Company: Lovers, Friends and Devices, to highlight how love is shaping up in today’s technology-driven time.

In times of polarised debates on privacy, a recent McAfee study states that a whopping 84 percent of Indians share their personal passwords with their partners. The report comes just a week before lovers across the world are set to celebrate the Valentine’s Day.

The study was aimed to understand the online behaviour of people and how it affects their real-world relationships with friends and significant others. It underscores the need for individuals to manage their device usage during social interaction and calls for vigilance while sharing personal information.

McAfee has revealed key discoveries from its study, titled, Three’s Company: Lovers, Friends and Devices, to highlight how love is shaping up in today’s technology-driven time.

Dating: body present, mind absent

According to the study’s findings, more than 77 percent of the respondents are troubled with the existence of an internet-connected device in their relationship, even as they themselves are pretty much hooked onto it. They think that the use of technology is getting in the way of their relationships today. It further stated that 81 percent of the people in India indicate that they got into an argument with a friend or significant other for spending too much time on their phone, when they ought to be spending time together.

If you think that you are the victim of your partner’s addiction to technology, don’t think you are alone. The study stated that two in three Indians (67 percent) in a relationship have felt that their significant other was more interested in their internet-connected device than in them. When it comes to sharing personal passwords, the study finds that though 89 percent of Indians think privacy is important in a relationship, while 84 percent also share their personal passwords and PINs with their partners.

Tech and relationship

The study further mentions a word on dating apps that is making it easy for the partners to make connections on the go. About 58 percent think that dating apps are more effective at helping people find a date than friends and family, said the report.

Venkat Krishnapur, Vice President, Engineering and Managing Director, McAfee, said, “In today’s connected lifestyle, daily activities and interactions of consumers are powered by technology and apps. This insatiable dependency for technology can come at the price of sharing our personal information with the unknown. We need to be aware of the reality of oversharing, and take corrective steps.”