What Are the Advantages of Having Laws That Are Easy for All Citizens to Read and Understand?
A bulk of Americans believe their online and offline activities are beingness tracked and monitored by companies and the government with some regularity. It is such a common condition of modernistic life that roughly six-in-ten U.South. adults say they do non think information technology is possible to go through daily life without having data collected most them by companies or the government.
Data-driven products and services are often marketed with the potential to save users fourth dimension and coin or even atomic number 82 to better health and well-being. All the same, large shares of U.South. adults are not convinced they benefit from this arrangement of widespread information gathering. Some 81% of the public say that the potential risks they confront because of data collection by companies outweigh the benefits, and 66% say the same almost government data drove. At the same time, a majority of Americans study being concerned virtually the mode their data is being used by companies (79%) or the government (64%). Near also experience they have little or no control over how these entities use their personal information, according to a new survey of U.S. adults by Pew Research Center that explores how Americans experience virtually the land of privacy in the nation.
Americans' concerns most digital privacy extend to those who collect, store and utilise their personal information. Additionally, majorities of the public are not confident that corporations are good stewards of the data they collect. For instance, 79% of Americans say they are non too or not at all confident that companies will acknowledge mistakes and have responsibility if they misuse or compromise personal information, and 69% report having this aforementioned lack of confidence that firms will use their personal information in ways they volition be comfy with.
Several of the queries of this survey focus on public perceptions of what "the regime" does related to personal data. For instance, respondents were asked: "As far every bit you know, how much of what you do online or on your cellphone is being tracked by the regime?" Related questions focused on people's attitudes near the data the government collects nigh them.
Information technology is difficult to determine how much personal data the government collects and otherwise tin can access through individual company records. Authoritative regime agencies similar the IRS, Census Bureau, Postal Service and social welfare departments gather diverse personal details about people. That includes their tax- and employment-related information, physical attributes if they become a regime ID, financial circumstances if they get benefits from social, housing and employment preparation programs, health data if they participate in authorities health-insurance programs, addresses, household limerick, holding ownership if they own houses or cars and educational details if they get student loan or grant, for example. This list is not exhaustive.
Across that, national security organizations similar the National Security Agency take authorization to monitor telephone traffic and people's movements. With subpoenas or court orders and warrants, law enforcement organizations can typically access and monitor people'due south telephone and traffic records, health records (including genetic records), online and app browsing, search queries, texts and emails. Users' social media activities and their tech-based social networks are at to the lowest degree at times examined in investigations, according to "transparency reports" released by the companies.
It is important to annotation, that there are often limitations on the ways government agencies can share what they know with others, including those in other parts of the authorities.
There is too a collective sentiment that data security is more elusive today than in the by. When asked whether they think their personal data is less secure, more secure or well-nigh the same as it was v years ago, seventy% of adults say their personal data is less secure. Only 6% report that they believe their data is more than secure today than it was in the past.
Merely even as the public expresses worry almost various aspects of their digital privacy, many Americans admit that they are non always diligent about paying attention to the privacy policies and terms of service they regularly see. Fully 97% of Americans say they are ever asked to approve privacy policies, yet only most 1-in-5 adults overall say they always (ix%) or often (13%) read a company's privacy policy before agreeing to information technology. Some 38% of all adults maintain they sometimes read such policies, just 36% say they never read a company's privacy policy before agreeing to it.
Moreover, the practice of reading privacy policies doesn't necessarily guarantee thoroughness. Among adults who say they ever read privacy policies before agreeing to their terms and conditions, merely a minority – 22% – say they read them all the way through before agreeing to their terms and weather condition.
At that place is as well a general lack of agreement well-nigh data privacy laws among the general public: 63% of Americans say they understand very fiddling or nothing at all well-nigh the laws and regulations that are currently in identify to protect their data privacy.
These findings point to an overall wariness nearly the state of privacy these days, but there are some circumstances where the public sees value in this type of data-driven environment. For instance, pluralities of adults say it is adequate for poorly performing schools to share information about their students with a nonprofit group seeking to assistance ameliorate educational outcomes or for the regime to collect data about all Americans to assess who might be a potential terrorist.
These findings come from a survey of 4,272 U.S. adults conducted on Pew Research Center'due south American Trends Console between June three-17, 2019.
Here are some of the key takeaways:
P revalence of tracking: 72% of Americans written report feeling that all, virtually all or nigh of what they do online or while using their cellphone is being tracked past advertisers, technology firms or other companies. Another 19% recollect some of what they do is existence tracked. Shut to one-half (47%) of adults believe at to the lowest degree nigh of their online activities are existence tracked by the government.
When it comes to their offline beliefs such equally where they are or whom they talk with, 69% believe companies are tracking at to the lowest degree some of that activity. And 56% of Americans think the regime is tracking at least some of their activities, like who they are talking to or their whereabouts.
Not feeling in control of personal data: Roughly viii-in-10 or more U.Due south. adults say they have very little or no control over the data that government (84%) or companies (81%) collect virtually them.
When it comes to unlike kinds of data, the picture varies by the specific blazon. While relatively few Americans feel as if they have a lot of control over who has access to everything from their physical location to their social media posts, there are experiences in which some Americans especially feel a lack of command. Roughly half of Americans (48%) say they feel every bit if they have no command over who can access the search terms they apply, and 41% say the same about the websites they visit. Past comparison, a smaller share of the public feels as if they practice not have control over who can access their physical location.
Risks vs. rewards of information collection and profiling: 81% of Americans retrieve the potential risks of data collection past companies about them outweigh the benefits, and 66% say the same most government data drove virtually them. Relatedly, 72% of adults say they personally benefit very little or none from visitor data drove most them, and 76% say this about the benefits they might get from government data collection.
One aim of the data drove done by companies is for the purpose of profiling customers and potentially targeting the sale of goods and services to them based on their traits and habits. This survey finds that 77% of Americans say they have heard or read at to the lowest degree a chip virtually how companies and other organizations use personal data to offer targeted advertisements or special deals, or to assess how risky people might be every bit customers. About 64% of all adults say they have seen ads or solicitations based on their personal data. And 61% of those who have seen ads based on their personal data say the ads accurately reflect their interests and characteristics at least somewhat well. (That amounts to 39% of all adults.)
Data collection and sharing for specific purposes: Despite their broad concerns about data collection and employ past companies and the government, pluralities of U.S. adults say it is acceptable for data to exist used in some ways. For instance, by a 49%-27% margin, more than Americans find it acceptable than unacceptable for poorly performing schools to share data about their students with a nonprofit group seeking to assist improve educational outcomes. Similarly, 49% say it is acceptable for authorities to collect data nigh all Americans to assess who might be a potential terrorist threat. That compares with 31% who experience it is unacceptable to collect data from all Americans for that purpose.
On the other hand, more find it unacceptable than adequate for social media companies to monitor users' posts for signs of depression so they can place people who are at adventure of self-harm and connect them to counseling services (45% vs. 27%). The same pattern arises when information technology comes to companies that make smart speakers sharing audio recordings of customers with law enforcement to help with criminal investigations: 49% say this it is unacceptable, while 25% find it acceptable.
The public is more than evenly divided when information technology comes to the acceptability of fettle tracking app makers sharing user data with medical researchers to improve sympathize the link between exercise and heart illness.
Concern about how data is used: 79% of adults assert they are very or somewhat concerned virtually how companies are using the information they collect nigh them, while 64% say they have the same level of concern about government data collection.
Separately, Americans have mixed views nearly which groups concern them in getting access to their data: About four-in-ten are concerned a lot almost the personal information social media sites (40%) or advertisers might know about them (39%). Merely merely 9% of Americans worry a lot most the information family and friends might know and 19% accept similar concerns about what their employers might know.
Still, the majority of Americans are not confident most the mode companies volition behave when it comes to using and protecting their personal information. Roughly seven-in-ten or more say they are not too or not at all confident that companies volition admit mistakes and take responsibility when they misuse or compromise data (79%), will exist held accountable past government if they misuse data (75%), or will employ customers' data in means that people would feel comfy with (69%).
When it comes to information employ for specific purposes, Americans have varying views depending on the purpose for the information utilise. For example, 57% of adults say they are very or somewhat comfy with companies using their personal information to help companies better their fraud prevention systems. Merely they are evenly divide when the issue is their condolement with companies using their personal data in developing new products. About a third (36%) of adults say they are at least somewhat comfortable with companies sharing their personal data with outside groups doing research that might aid them meliorate society, but a larger share (64%) say they would exist uncomfortable with this practice.
Lack of understanding: 78% of U.S. adults say they sympathise very little or cipher almost what the regime does with the data it collects, and 59% say the same nigh the information companies collect. Only 6% of adults say they understand a keen deal what companies do with the information collected, and a similar share (four%) say they know a great deal about what the authorities does with the data.
Some Americans also admit they struggle to sympathise the privacy laws that govern use of their data. Roughly six-in-ten Americans (63%) say they have very fiddling or no agreement of the laws and regulations that are currently in place to protect their privacy. Just 3% of adults say they empathize these laws a cracking deal, and 33% say they have some understanding.
How Americans handle privacy policies: Core parts of the current system of information collection and privacy protection are built on the thought that consumers are given notice virtually how firms collect and utilise data and ask for their consent to having their information used that way. Fully 97% say they are always asked to approve privacy policies, withal but one-in-five adults overall say they always (nine%) or often (13%) read these policies. Some 38% of U.Due south. adults maintain they sometimes read such policies, and 36% say they never read a company's privacy policy before agreeing to information technology. In all, nearly 4-in-ten adults say they understand privacy policies smashing deal (8%) or some (33%).
In addition to the concerns cited to a higher place about how companies handle personal information, a majority of Americans (57%) say they are not too confident (twoscore%) or not at all confident (17%) companies follow what their privacy policies say they will practise with users' personal data.
Several other key findings in the survey:
- Roughly three-in-ten Americans (28%) say they have suffered at least i of three kinds of major identity theft problems in the previous 12 months at the time of the survey: 21% have had someone put fraudulent charges on their credit or debit menu; viii% accept had someone accept over their social media or email accounts without their permission; and 6% have had someone try to open up a credit line or get a loan using their name.
- A majority of U.S. adults (57%) say they follow privacy news very closely (11%) or somewhat closely (46%).
There are some differences past historic period on some privacy bug: People in dissimilar age groups accept varying views on some fundamental privacy and surveillance issues. Americans ages 65 and older are less likely than those ages eighteen to 29 to experience they take command over who tin can access things similar their concrete location, purchases made both online and offline and their private conversations. At the same fourth dimension, older Americans are less probable to think they do good from data collection: Just 17% of those 65 and older believing they benefit from the data government collects virtually them, and only 19% retrieve the same most data nerveless by companies.
There are likewise age differences on the result of how data gets used once obtained. Americans ages 65 and older are more probable than younger adults to say it is acceptable for police enforcement to use customers' genetic data to aid solve crimes, approve information collection to appraise terrorist threats, and have smart speaker makers share users' audio recordings in investigations. By contrast, young adults ages 18 to 29 are more likely than older adults to find adequate the idea that social media companies monitor users for signs of depression and to allow fitness tracking user information to be shared with medical researchers.
In addition, ii-thirds of adults ages 65 and older say they follow privacy news at least somewhat closely, compared with just 45% of those eighteen to 29 who practise the same.
At that place are differences past race and ethnicity on some privacy issues: Black Americans are more likely than white Americans to say they believe the regime is tracking all or virtually of what they do online or on their cellphone (60% vs. 43%). Like gaps are present in views about offline activities: 47% of blackness adults think all or most of their offline activities are tracked by the government, compared with just nineteen% of white adults.
In add-on, black and Hispanic adults are more probable than white adults to say they are concerned to some degree about what law enforcement officials, employers and family unit and friends know about them.
When information technology comes to identity-theft issues, black adults (20%) are roughly three times as likely as their Hispanic (7%) or white counterparts (6%) to say someone has taken over their social media or e-mail business relationship in the past year. Black Americans are besides more probable than white and Hispanic adults to say someone attempted to open up a line of credit or applied for a loan using their name in the past 12 months.
At the same fourth dimension, white adults also report feeling less control across several information types when compared with black and Hispanic adults. For example, 50% of white Americans feel they have control over who tin admission data about their on- and offline purchases, compared with 69% of black adults and 66% of Hispanic adults.
CORRECTION: In the chart, "Bulk of Americans feel as if they accept little command over data collected well-nigh them past companies and the government," the explanatory text for the findings related to "Risks outweigh benefits" was transcribed incorrectly. The correct text is, "Potential risks of ___ (companies or the government) collecting data most them outweigh the benefits."
Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2019/11/15/americans-and-privacy-concerned-confused-and-feeling-lack-of-control-over-their-personal-information/
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