Study finds men lax on phone loss

According to an Australian mobile phone security survey released today by F-Secure, more men have lost their mobiles and smartphones than women, leaving devices which could be holding business information around for anyone to find.

(Credit: Apple)

"Many people today, either knowingly or unknowingly, carry a lot of sensitive information on their phones, be it names and addresses, pictures or business information. The last thing you want is for this to fall into the wrong hands," F-Secure's regional director for Australia and New Zealand Indi Siriniwasa said in a media statement today.

F-Secure surveyed 1001 Australians, of which 32 per cent had lost a mobile phone or had one stolen.

The survey claimed that men were more "careless" than women with their mobile phones, as over 39 per cent of men had reported lost mobile phones, compared to 26 per cent of women.

The study found that taxis and public transport were the most popular places to lose smartphones and mobiles, followed by holidays and pubs.

It also claimed women were more likely to lose their phone in the pub than men, with 17 per cent having misplaced their phones at a watering hold as compared to 10 per cent of men.

The study also suggested that older people were more careful with their mobile phones, with over 85 per cent of over 65's reporting that they had never lost a mobile phone. In contrast, 51 per cent of respondents aged 18 to 24 reported mobile phone loss.

"Mobile phones can be easily lost or stolen, so it is important to be able to remotely locate, protect and control the device. Users should be able to remotely lock their phones, wipe the content and in some cases even find the phone's location," said Siriniwasa.