(Bloomberg) -- Potential leaks of personal user data collected by internet giants and online services will be one of the major cyber-security threats of 2017, according to computer safety company Kaspersky Lab.
“Users have de facto become hostages as today they can’t install an app, watch a movie or communicate with friends without providing personal data online,” Moscow-based Kaspersky said in a report Wednesday. “Leaks of such data are occurring more and more frequently.”
The Russian cyber-security firm is seeking to capitalize on this trend. Kaspersky plans to start a service dubbed FFForget next year, which will let users keep personal photographs, videos and posts when deleting accounts from social networks.
About 78% of users have considered quitting social networks, partly over concerns technology giants are spying on them, Kaspersky said last month, citing a survey it conducted in 12 countries. Still, many users stay put because of the memories they keep in the social networks, according to Kaspersky.
