Israel at 68 online: Connected, curious, and a bit apprehensive
Vast majority see the web as an invaluable resource, study finds, although there are some concerns as well

Eighty-seven percent of Israelis use the Internet on a regular basis, according to a poll by the Israel Internet Society (ISOC) in its annual Independence Day roundup of Israelis’ online activity.
ISOC found that more than one-third of online Israelis fear that their privacy will be invaded, while one-quarter were most concerned that their children would be exposed to inappropriate or abusive materials online. Only 12% were afraid that hackers would use their computer for nefarious purposes.
Israel is considered one of the more developed countries in the world in Internet use; studies place Israel at No. 20 among 143 countries for online activity. The ISOC poll — based on a scientifically determined sample of 1,200 people — showed that 14% of Internet users did their surfing strictly on smartphones or tablets. Only 8% restricted their online use to desktop computers.
As in the rest of the world, the trend over the past few years has been — and will be in the coming years — a dramatic increase of device-only Internet users, with mobile-only Internet access by users expected to outnumber any other form of access.
Of the 13% of Israelis who are not Internet users, 45% said they refrain from online activities for religious reasons. Twenty-nice percent said that they have no interest in going online, while 23% said they didn’t know how to use the Internet. The latter two groups were predominantly comprised of older people, the report said.
Of those who did surf, 27% said that the most helpful/useful thing was the access to large amounts of information, while 23% said that it gave them an opportunity to learn new things. Most important for 21% of respondents was the ability to communicate with people around the world, whether via social media or through telephony or video app, while 13% said the ability to get uncensored information about any topic was the Internet’s best feature.
In addition, 8% said that the ability to use many free services — from e-mail to free phone calls via IP telephony programs like Skype — was the biggest boon.
Besides the one-third and one-quarter of Israelis who respectively fear data theft or deleterious effects on children, 12% said that they were specifically most afraid that a hacker could abscond with details of their bank account (as opposed to a general invasion of privacy), while 10% said they were afraid of coming across inappropriate material (like porn).
Only 4% said they were afraid of “shaming,” where online bullies call them names or spread false stories about victims. In recent months, ISOC and other organizations have mounted major campaigns against shaming, including helping victims catch their torturers.
“These are just initial numbers from a wide-ranging poll we have been conducting,” said ISOC chairman Yoram Cohen. “Based on this data, there is a great need to improve the capabilities of the Israeli Internet — both for Wi-Fi users and those using the cell network to access sites — and to provide more instructions and information to the public. We see great importance in keeping the Internet available and accessible to everyone, while maintaining it as a neutral and safe forum that allows equal access to all.
Cohen added: “Development of the Internet has become an important component in the social and economic life of Israel, and it needs to be developed further to maintain and enhance its important role.”