However, according to a recent report by The Pew Research Center, they are less enthusiastic about exchanging personal details in return for better advertising or offers, especially when those details reveal their physical location, researchers said.
Just over half of 416 U.S. adults surveyed said they would find it “acceptable” if an employer installed office security cameras equipped with facial recognition technology to combat a growing theft problem. A similar percentage said it would be “acceptable” for their doctor to upload health records to a vendor that helped schedule doctor visits online. Just under half found it “acceptable” for a grocery store to track their purchases and sell the data in exchange for a free loyalty card.
Only one-third said they would be comfortable if their online behavior were monitored by a social network in order to show them relevant advertising – a scenario that sounds similar to Facebook. However, the responses divided sharply by age. 40% of respondents under 50 said found the social network monitoring acceptable, but only a quarter of those over 50.
The Internet of Things raised greater concern. Two-thirds of respondents said they would not be comfortable with an auto insurance company placing a tracking device in their car to monitor their speed and location in return for discounts that rewarded safe driving.
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