Americans feel their privacy is out of their control – study

A recent consumer survey from the Pew Research Center revealed that most Americans  — 91 percent of respondents –no longer feel like their private information is under their control, in terms of how data is collected and used by organizations.

Pew’s research focused on how public perceptions of privacy and online security have shifted in the “post-Snowden era.” Essentially, respondents to the survey feel as though someone’s always watching them – and there’s very little they can do about it.

“Privacy evokes a constellation of concepts for Americans—some of them tied to traditional notions of civil liberties and some of them driven by concerns about the surveillance of digital communications and the coming era of ‘big data,’” Pew stated in the report. “While Americans’ associations with the topic of privacy are varied, the majority of adults … feel that their privacy is being challenged along such core dimensions as the security of their personal information and their ability to retain confidentiality.”

Most respondents said they worried about government surveillance of telephone calls and online communication, suggesting that the news stories about the revelations of former National Security Agency employee Edward Snowden resonated with the public. Eighty percent agreed that citizens should be concerned, but 64 percent also said they believe the government should do more to regulate how businesses and advertisers use data in target marketing.

Just 36 percent of respondents agreed or “strongly” agreed with the statement: “It is a good thing for society if people believe that someone is keeping an eye on the things that they do online.”

Respondents cited challenges in removing inaccurate information about them from the Internet, as well as their concerns over information contained in social media sites. However, most respondents said they appreciate the ease of use for online services enabled by data collection.

“At the same time that Americans express these broad sensitivities toward various kinds of information, they are actively engaged in negotiating the benefits and risks of sharing this data in their daily interactions with friends, family, co-workers, businesses and government. And even as they feel concerned about the possibility of misinformation circulating online, relatively few report negative experiences tied to their digital footprints,” Pew concluded.