German providers enjoy the greatest trust: The Russian war of aggression on Ukraine has almost completely destroyed trust in IT providers from Russia. Currently, only 3 percent of internet users say they trust IT manufacturers or IT service providers from Russia. A year ago, the share was still 13 percent. Trust in companies from China has also more than halved, from 7 to 3 percent. These are the results of a recent survey commissioned by the digital association Bitkom among 1,014 people in Germany aged 16 and over who use the internet. The greatest trust is placed in providers from Germany (64 percent, 2021: 56 percent), followed by the other EU countries (48 percent, 2021: 43 percent) and Great Britain (42 percent, 2021: 35 percent). Trust in IT companies from the USA has also increased, with 28 percent trusting them very much or a lot. A year ago, it was only 23 per cent. They are followed by Ukraine (24 per cent, not polled in 2021) and India (22 per cent, 17 per cent in 2021). “It takes years if not decades to build trust – it is destroyed within a few days and weeks. Tech companies based in authoritarian countries are feeling the effects of this,” says Bitkom President Achim Berg.

Note on methodology: The data is based on a survey conducted by Bitkom Research on behalf of the digital association Bitkom. In the process, 1,014 people aged 16 and over in Germany who use the internet were interviewed by telephone. The survey is representative. The question asked was “In general, how much do you trust IT manufacturers or service providers from the following countries when it comes to handling your personal data?”