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Danes love public wifi, but forgo security

Christian Wenande
August 17th, 2015


This article is more than 9 years old.

Some 68 percent said they forgot about security settings

Seven out of every ten Danes don’t check that their security settings are in order when logging on to public wifi networks, according to a new survey compiled by Epinion for tax consultants Deloitte.

The survey found that 68 percent of Danes who had logged on to a wifi network during the past year had forgotten to check their security settings.

“Wireless wifi networks have become a natural part of our digital everyday lives,” said Kim Schlyter, a data security specialist with Deloitte.

“We find them in cafes, trains and buses, stations – practically anywhere there are many people. It’s brilliant that one can easily and quickly go online, but you need to be more vigilant in regards to security.”

READ MORE: The telecom Wild West: Data roaming outside the EU

Be on high alert
Logging on to a public wifi network without the necessary security leaves users easy prey for hackers to access personal data.

Schlyter contends it is important to take preventative measures in order to avoid being the victim of a hacker attack. Setting security settings to high alert when accessing public wifi is a good start.

“You have to remember to shut off the automatic login function so you decide yourself which networks to enter. That way you avoid other people gaining access to one’s personal data such as banking details, passwords or private emails,” said Schlyter.


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A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”