Sticking with “the average pc” and “the average phone” — I’d say there are more vectors of vulnerability in the wide arrange of sites and programs the average person interacts with on their PC than there is on a phone, as well as a PC being a better target to compromise than someone’s phone.
Happy to be proved wrong but I rarely hear about someone’s phone being randomwared, botnetted, remote accessed etc
More vulnerable, probably yes. Phones are very locked down and secured (unless you root or install custom firmware).
But, they are still worse for privacy due to how they’re used. The phone (and thus Google and Apple and Facebook and others) has access to your location all the time - your computer doesn’t. The computer is only vulnerable when on - the phone is always on.
The threats are different and from different sources. Random hackers mining shitcoins on your computer, big companies knowing what you’re doing when you carry your phone.
Well it depends whether active usage is a vector in how secure a device is. If security is exposure to risk / frequency of use, you are correct, same with exposure to risk / percent of global ownership (66% smart phone, 50% personal computer), but if we’re talking about any given device with an even chance it’s a pc or smartphone, I’m willing to bet (although I don’t have proof) that any given smartphone is slightly more secure.
How are PCs worse than phones?
Sticking with “the average pc” and “the average phone” — I’d say there are more vectors of vulnerability in the wide arrange of sites and programs the average person interacts with on their PC than there is on a phone, as well as a PC being a better target to compromise than someone’s phone.
Happy to be proved wrong but I rarely hear about someone’s phone being randomwared, botnetted, remote accessed etc
Oh yeah, true.
I was thinking about it more as phones have multiple cameras and microphones, are constantly with us, and are usually full of spyware apps.
More vulnerable, probably yes. Phones are very locked down and secured (unless you root or install custom firmware).
But, they are still worse for privacy due to how they’re used. The phone (and thus Google and Apple and Facebook and others) has access to your location all the time - your computer doesn’t. The computer is only vulnerable when on - the phone is always on.
The threats are different and from different sources. Random hackers mining shitcoins on your computer, big companies knowing what you’re doing when you carry your phone.
I think the average person doesn’t even use a PC that much.
Well it depends whether active usage is a vector in how secure a device is. If security is exposure to risk / frequency of use, you are correct, same with exposure to risk / percent of global ownership (66% smart phone, 50% personal computer), but if we’re talking about any given device with an even chance it’s a pc or smartphone, I’m willing to bet (although I don’t have proof) that any given smartphone is slightly more secure.
tbf the avg person anymore probably uses 1 either exclusively for work or 2 rarely even uses one
I mean “average person” can mean a lot of different things, but the plurality of any given person in the world owns both.