Examining the risk categories: Reputational, behavioral, sexual and personal\/intrusive \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n In 2017, results showed that people\u2019s digital interactions and responses to online risks appeared to be improving, but what was surprising was that many of those targeted for abuse said their offenders came from their immediate families and social circles. We decided to take a closer look at some of these findings this year and we found that unsettling trend was continuing. Indeed, negative experiences from family, friends and acquaintances were up 4 percent, 7 percent and 2 percent, respectively, while a new classification of perpetrators \u2013 colleagues and coworkers \u2013 accounted for 9 percent of people\u2019s unpleasant interactions online.<\/p>\n As for the nature of online risks across and within the four risk categories \u2013 reputational, behavioral, sexual and personal\/intrusive \u2013 40 percent of respondents experienced behavioral risks and unwanted contact (a personal and intrusive risk); just over one-third (34 percent) reported negative experiences of a sexual nature, and 28 percent said they fell victim to hoaxes, scams or fraud, another personal and intrusive risk. Interestingly, 60 percent of those who experienced a behavioral risk also experienced unwanted contact and, coincidentally, 60 percent of those who experienced unwanted contact also experienced a behavioral risk.<\/p>\n Get ready for Safer Internet Day 2019: Pledge to be more respectful online <\/strong><\/p>\n On World Kindness Day and in gearing up for Safer Internet Day, we\u2019re again encouraging global internet users to pledge to engage responsibly online. Follow the example of the 15 impressive teens that served on our inaugural Council for Digital Good<\/a>, and take our Digital Civility Challenge:<\/p>\n Find more great advice from our council members here<\/a>, and visit our website<\/a> and resources<\/a> page for help in handling almost any online safety situation. For more regular news and information, you can connect with us on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. However you choose to learn and get involved, make this World Kindness Day count when it comes to safer and healthier online interactions.<\/p>\n![\"Perpetrators](\"http:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/peoples-online-social-circles-are-becoming-riskier-new-microsoft-research-shows.jpg\")
<\/a>Bullying seemed to define the behavioral category. Nearly all respondents who reported experiencing a behavioral risk was a target of name-calling, purposeful embarrassment or some other form of bullying. Unwanted contact was characterized by repeated attempts to contact the target, with more than four in 10 respondents reporting at least one form of repeated unwanted contact. Receipt of unwelcome sexual imagery and messages dominated the sexual risk category, with another nearly four in 10 experiencing repeated attempts to start a romantic relationship. Finally, the commonly experienced hoaxes, scams and fraud risk was led by false and misleading information. Fake news and internet hoaxes were the most common type, far outpacing fake anti-virus scams. More detailed findings across all of these individual risks and risk categories will be released on Safer Internet Day 2019.<\/p>\n\n