According to a recent study conducted by TRUSTe, the National Cyber Security Alliance GB Consumer Privacy Index, online privacy concerns topped the loss of personal income by 10 percentage points, even as only 1 in 4 Brits report they understand how companies collect their personal information.
Just 54% of British internet users trust businesses with their personal information online, exposing a remarkably lacking level of trust. 51% do not feel they have control over any personal information they may have provided online, 35% think protecting personal information online is too complex and 43% of those who worry about their privacy online say companies providing clear procedures for removing personal information would increase trust.
The research shows that consumer online privacy concerns remain extremely high with 92% of British internet users worrying to some extent about their privacy online. 36% said they were frequently or always concerned and 39% agreed they were more concerned than one year ago. 73% were concerned about not knowing how personal information collected about them online is used compared with 62% concerned with losing their principle source of income and 51% being a victim of crime in their community. When those aware of activities related to online privacy were asked what made them most concerned about their online privacy, almost half (45%) said companies sharing their personal information with other companies.
When those aware of activities related to online privacy were asked what made them most concerned about their online privacy, almost half (45%) said companies sharing their personal information with other companies. 74% of British internet users believe that they protect their privacy online very or fairly well and yet their awareness and actions tell a different story. Of those aware of any activities that can be done to protect privacy online, a notably lower proportion in each case had actually done any of these activities in the last year.
Among all online adults, 31% have stopped using a website and 24% have stopped using an app in the last twelve months because they did not trust them to handle personal information securely. 52% of adults who have stopped using either an app or website said that this was because they did not feel comfortable.
Trust remains a significant issue with just 54% of British internet users trusting most businesses with their personal information online. Healthcare providers (72%) and financial organizations (66%) were most trusted to handle personal information responsibly. Social networks (32%) and advertisers (19%) were the least trusted.
British internet users want control when providing personal information online: 50% said they wanted control over who has access to their personal information, 47% wanted to know how this is used, 39% wanted to know about the type of info collected and 29% want to be able to delete personal info collected about them.
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