A significant majority of Americans believe that it is very important to control who can collect and access information about them, but few are confident that the information is currently being kept private.
According to recent surveys by the
Pew Research Center, 93 percent of adults say that being in control of who can get information about them is important, with 74 percent saying this is "very important." And 90 percent say controlling what information is collected about them is important, while 65 percent say it's very important.
At the same time, just 6 percent of adults say they are "very confident" that government agencies can keep their records private and secure, while 25 percent say they are "somewhat confident."
The report also found that Americans are pessimistic when it comes to telephone companies' ability to maintain their privacy, at just 6 percent.
Credit card companies appear to instill a slightly higher level of confidence, with 9 percent saying they are "very confident" and 29 percent saying they are "somewhat confident" that their data will stay private and secure.
Meanwhile, less than 15 percent of respondents said they are "very confident" or "somewhat confident" that online search engines, video sites, social media sites and advertisers are able to keep their information private and secure.
At the same time, 91 percent of respondents said they had not made any changes to their activities online and on their mobile devices to avoid being tracked or noticed.
"In the almost two years that have passed since the initial Snowden revelations, the public has been awash in news stories detailing security breaches at major retailers, health insurance companies and financial institutions," said Mary Madden, a senior researcher at Pew, in a statement, according to
Politico.
"These events and the doubts they have inspired have contributed to a cloud of personal 'data insecurity' that now looms over many Americans' daily decisions and activities," she said. "Many find these developments deeply troubling and want limits put in place."
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