BackBytes: British 'net users are 'nicest', claims Microsoft

Really?

Internet users in the UK are the "nicest", according to a worldwide survey conducted for Microsoft.

We can only assume they've excluded us from their findings.

The Digital Civility Index, which was released to coincide with Internet Safety Day surveyed 14 countries out of a possible 200+, in order to "gauge the attitudes and perceptions of teens [?!?] about the state of digital civility today".

The UK somehow came top with a score of 45 per cent against a worldwide mean of 65 per cent.

There were a total of 17 online risks assessed as part of the study, an updated version of the previous Computing Safety Index.

The news comes as Twitter announces another new initiative to try and stamp out users trolls.

Equally surprising, perhaps, perennial losers Australia came second with a score of 51 per cent, while the Americans somehow came third with 55 per cent.

Bottom of the pile were the South Africans with 78 per cent, making it the most aggressive country online (notwithstanding the 200 or so countries that weren't surveyed).

Factors include unwanted contact, being "treated mean" (seriously), trolling (surely an art form in which the UK excels?), receiving unwanted sexts and online harassment.

Microsoft's blog touchy-feelingly simpered: "People are establishing social norms online that include treating each other with respect and dignity, but there's more that we can all do.

"We'd like to see digital civility - grounded in empathy - become a universal message and a common-sense behaviour, so the internet can be a safe place for everyone to exchange ideas, learn, play and connect."

After throwing up over that, other highlights from the research included the claim that two-thirds of respondents had fallen victim to at least one risk, and 78 per cent had family or friends who had experienced them.

Half of respondents said they were "extremely or very" worried about life online generally, while 62 per cent said they were unsure where to get help if they encountered an online risk. Let's hope they never step outside into the real world.

Microsoft came up with four guidelines comprising their "Digital Civility Challenge". These are (paraphrased because we haven't got all day to state the bleedin' obvious): do as you would be done by, respect difference, pause before replying, and stand up for myself and others.

Better still, perhaps, just ignore idiots.

Just behind South Africa at the top of the list of malicious micro morons are Mexico and Russia - although it's unclear whether they mean ordinary Russians or the ones employed by the government to troll the comments section of the Mail Online.