Roughly 9 in 10 online adults in the US worry about their privacy online at least sometimes, details TRUSTe in its “2013 US Consumer Confidence Index.” Those privacy fears extend to a range of popular online activities, with a high proportion at least sometimes worried about their privacy when shopping online (89%), using social networks (87%), banking online (86%), using email (82%), and using mobile applications (77%). The study finds that concerns surrounding privacy on smartphones in particular is on the rise.
72% of smartphone users report being more concerned about privacy on smartphones than a year earlier, and 81% steer clear of apps that they don’t believe protect their privacy online. Such concerns have been seen before: September 2012 survey results from the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that among mobile app users, 54% have decided not to install an app due to concerns about sharing or collecting of personal information, and 30% have uninstalled an app for the same reason.
Privacy concerns not only impact app developers, but businesses in general. 43% of TRUSTe survey respondents say they don’t trust companies with their personal information online, and 89% agree that they would avoid doing business with companies who they don’t believe protect their privacy online.
About the Data: Harris Interactive conducted the survey online on behalf of TRUSTe from January 7-9, 2013, among 2,166 U.S. adults aged 18 and older. The online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
