The share of Americans who say they are very or somewhat concerned about government use of people’s data has increased from 64% in 2019 to 71% today. Two-thirds (67%) of adults say they understand little to nothing about what companies are doing with their personal data, up from 59%.

This survey was conducted among 5,101 U.S. adults from May 15 to 21, 2023

% say they are concerned about how … use(s) the data they collect about them

  • Companies: 81%
  • The government: 71%

% say they have little to no understanding about what … do(es) with the data they collect about them

  • Companies: 67%
  • The government: 77%

% say they have very little or no trust at all that leaders of social media companies will

  • Publicly admit mistakes and take responsibility when they misuse or compromises users’ personal data: 77%
  • Not sell users’ personal data to others without their consent: 76%
  • Be held accountable by the government if they misuse or compromise users’ personal data: 71%

% say that as companies use AI to collect and analyze personal information, this information will be used in ways that …

  • People would not be comfortable with: 81%
  • Were not originally intended: 80%
  • Could make people’s lives easier: 62%

% say that when they think about managing their privacy online, they …

  • Trust themselves to make the right decisions about their personal information: 78%
  • Feel skeptical that anything they do will make much difference: 61%
  • Feel overwhelmed by figuring out what they need to do: 37%
  • Feel privacy is not that big of a deal to them: 29%
  • Are confident those who have access to their personal information will do what is right: 21%

% say they … agree to online privacy policies right away, without reading what the policies say

  • Always, almost always or often: 56%
  • Sometimes: 22%
  • Rarely or never: 18%
  • No answer: 4%

Please read the report for a more in-depth look at the data and analysis!

  • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    7·
    24 days ago

    Yet pretty much nobody does anything about it. For example:

    • Linux - it’s too hard and won’t run my favorite apps (you know, the apps that steal your data)
    • paid, encrypted email - who pays for email?
    • use Signal instead of SMS - but nobody uses it (of course they don’t, because you aren’t using it)
    • TVs - “dumb” TVs are inconvenient (well yeah, smart TVs want to snoop on your apps, so they’ll making using apps through their UX easy)

    And so on. They may say they care, but actions speak far louder than words. Take baby steps instead of just whining. I’m on a privacy journey, and so far I have:

    1. use Firefox - I use it mostly because I believe in an open web, so rendering engine diversity matters to me, but privacy is also really important
    2. switched to Duckduckgo - really easy, and the bangs are really nice
    3. use Linux full time - it’s easier now than ever since games and many desktop apps just work on Linux
    4. use F-Droid for as much as possible on my Android phone
    5. switch to GrapheneOS on my Android phone - I needed a new phone anyway, so I picked up a Pixel
    6. switch to Tuta for email - Proton also works well, I just found Tuta to have the features I wanted
    7. switch all old logins to use my personal domain for email verification - if I ever dislike Tuta, switching is as easy as changing DNS settings (i.e. prevent myself from being locked-in)

    And so on. Achieving privacy and maintaining it is a process, not a destination. Just start doing something to keep a bit of your data private.