Light Bulb On. Consumers Not Thrilled with What They See
November 22, 2019
We cannot say this comes as much of a surprise. Citing a recent Pew survey, Fortune reports, “Americans to Companies: We Don’t Trust You With Our Persona Data.” Any confidence the public had that companies can safeguard personal data has been eroded by news of data breach after data breach. On top of that, many consumers have noticed how eerily accurate targeted ads have become due to unannounced data sharing by the likes of Facebook and Google. Writer Danielle Abril tells us:
“The Pew survey, based on responses from 4,272 U.S. adults between June 3 and June 17, found that most Americans doubt that companies will publicly admit to and take responsibility for mismanaging their data. Seventy-nine percent of respondents said they have little to no confidence that businesses will do the right thing. And even though many continue to exchange their data for services and products, 81% of people feel the risks now outweigh the benefits of the exchange. The sentiments appear have intensified over time, as 70% of those surveyed said they feel that their personal information is less secure than it was five years ago. … The survey found that 83% of respondents frequently or occasionally see ads that appear to be based on profiles companies created using their personal data. And of that group, 61% say that the ads are somewhat or very good at accurately reflecting their interests. But that doesn’t mean that people actually want companies using their data this way. More than eight in 10 people are concerned about the information social media companies and advertisers know about them.”
Pointing to user agreements, companies insist they are playing by the rules. They are not wrong, but they are quite aware how opaque those agreements are to most consumers. Over 80 percent of respondents say they are asked each month to agree to one privacy policy or another, and a third say they do so weekly. However, most only skim the policies, at best. Of those who do read them through, more than 85 percent only partially understand them. While it is true that, legally, it is on the consumers to understand what they are signing, tech companies could certainly make it easier. They won’t, though, as long as they can profit from users’ confusion.
Cynthia Murrell, November 22, 2019
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