Public don’t feel in control of data

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s assertion that privacy is no longer a “social norm” has been rubbished by a new study which reveals only one in ten consumers feel in complete control over their personal information being kept private.
The study, “Private Lives? Putting the consumer at the heart of the debate”, has been published by the MRS Delphi Group – a think tank set up by the Market Research Society – with contributors including DunnHumby co-founder Edwina Dunn, and Starcount chief executive Colin Strong.
It identifies growing consumer unease about how personal information is collected and stored, with 70% of people surveyed saying that privacy of personal information is more important now than it was five to ten years ago.
When it comes to the value exchange that takes place between consumers and organisations for personal information, the majority of consumers recognise this exchange exists, but 64% think companies get more or all of the benefit from the information we share with them.
It also challenges the myth that teenagers do not care about their personal data privacy. In reality teenagers take the issue seriously and are very active in safeguarding their privacy using social coding such as ‘in-jokes’ or ‘vaguebooking’ (using an intentionally vague Facebook status to hide the true meaning of their messages). Another trend is to dirty their data by putting in false personal details to help manage their privacy.
The report notes: “There is an almost universally held view that teenagers simply don’t care enough about online privacy and this can have disastrous consequences.”
Co-author Colin Strong said: “People are recognising the value of their personal information and institutions need to be prepared for a more robust justification of what is currently being traded in exchange for disclosure.
“Value is not just monetary, but social and emotional as well. This report is an attempt to broaden the privacy debate and help organisations and institutions properly consider the implications from the perspective of individual consumers and citizens.”