Internet Users Cut Back Because of Fears

WASHINGTON (AP) - As identity theft has grown, so has fear of being victimized through high-tech means.

Nearly a third of Internet users are cutting back on time spent surfing the Internet and a quarter say they have stopped buying online altogether, according to a study from Consumer Reports WebWatch.

Some 80 percent of Internet users say they're at least somewhat concerned someone could steal their identity from personal information on the Internet. Fifty-three percent of Internet users say they've stopped giving out personal information on the Web.

Among those who shop online, 54 percent say they're now more likely to read a site's privacy policy or user agreement before buying and 29 percent have cut back on how often they buy online.

The random telephone-based survey of 1,501 Internet users aged 18 and older was conducted May 19 to June 21. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.