KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — A new landmark study has shown that seven in 10 people worldwide are concerned about sharing personal information, while two-thirds of the global population does not like the current privacy practices of most data collectors.
The study conducted through a survey by Worldwide Independent Network for Market Research (WIN) and Esomar, revealed that a vast majority of the public have significant concerns around sharing their personal data, while more than half of the global population have been victims of data misuse.
It also showed a huge disconnect between businesses and the public in regards to data collection, its value and usage.
“Globally, over two-thirds of people understand that their personal information is valuable for data collectors, this is particularly pronounced in Europe (where 74 per cent of people agree), and Asia Pacific (75 per cent).
“However, less than half of people globally consider sharing personal information as vital and necessary in our connected world – this rises to two-thirds of people in the Asia Pacific (Apac) region,” it said in a joint statement in conjunction with the findings which were released today.
It elaborated that less than a third of people in Latin America and the US consider sharing data vital, suggesting that many consumers consider data collection to be a one-sided deal, that is valuable for businesses, but on the whole not necessary.
In North America, Latin America (Latam), Europe, and the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) fewer than half of all consumers were aware of what happens to their personal information after they have shared it with a data collector. — Bernama
