Better online security or faster internet, which would you choose?

Your answer probably depends on how old you are. According to a new survey 57 percent of Americans would take the better security. However, where millennials are concerned 54 percent would rather improve their internet speed.

This is among the findings of a new survey by adaptive access control company SecureAuth Corporation and Wakefield Research. Gender and education make a difference too, while men are split fairly evenly between personal online security (51 percent) and speed (49 percent) significantly more women care about online security (62 percent). When it comes to education, 63 percent of college graduates care about security, as against 47 percent of high school graduates.

Other interesting facts from the study include the data people are willing to reveal over public Wi-Fi connections. A majority of Americans (57 percent) have given some sort of personal information online over public Wi-Fi -- but that number jumps to 78 percent among millennials. The researchers theorize that millennials, who have grown up with continued technological advancement, are accustomed to fast and efficient technology. Consequently millennials, many of whom are active on a myriad of social media sites, have less qualms overall about disclosing personal information.

The nature of public Wi-Fi means that users are more at risk of loss of personally identifiable information (PII). However 44 percent admit to disclosing their address, 32 percent credit card number, 29 percent account passwords, 16 percent social security number and 15 percent driver’s license number.

"I can speak from the experience of someone who has dealt with the ramifications of a massive, high profile PII data breach," says Craig Lund, SecureAuth CEO. "The hacker pulled the 'Craig Lund' information from the trough of 70 million stolen IDs, created a false credit card and started charging me. In that case, there was nothing I could have done to prevent the attack. In this case, individuals have agency in the matter: they can choose not to disclose PII over public Wi-Fi. This is especially important as we go into the summer travel season, when online behavior tends to be less business focused".

More information on the findings and on how to keep your information safe you can visit the SecureAuth website.

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