New research conducted by money saving app and retailer marketing platform, ZIPZERO, has revealed that a significant majority of the UK populace is concerned about the integrity of their privacy and personal data. It found that:
- Fifty-six percent of people think their devices are listening to them
- Seventy-two percent feel the government is failing to protect consumers from invasive data tracking
- The same number (72%) believe the big tech firms know too much about them
ZIPZERO, an app transforming data into cash opportunities for consumers, commissioned new research to uncover the attitudes of Britons towards the acquisition, utilisation and safeguarding of their personal data.
The research found that more than half of Britons (56%) believe that their devices (smartphones, tablets, or smart home products) are listening in on them without permission.
The majority of respondents felt that not enough was being done to prevent tech companies from infringing on their privacy, as 72% felt that the government is failing to protect them from invasive data tracking, while the same number believe that big tech firms know too much about their habits and preferences.
The issue of data privacy resonates with most of those surveyed, as 79% believe that they should have more control over how their data is captured, stored and used online.
However, a lack of knowledge was evident, as just 44% of respondents felt they had a good understanding of how their online data was used, and only 32% of how significantly companies were benefitting from monetising that data.
Finally, those surveyed felt they had a right to some agency in data tracking, as two thirds (65%) of respondents believed they should be able to profit from their own data before it is used by third parties.
Mohsin Rashid, CEO of ZIPZERO, said: “The results of this survey reveal some troubling insights about people’s attitudes towards their data and its integrity. While some might dismiss those believing their phones are eavesdropping as paranoid, it reflects a landscape where the access big tech has over every facet of a consumer’s digital footprint seems disturbingly without bounds.
“Clearly, people want greater control over their data, more protection from the wandering eyes and ears of big tech and greater support from the government when it comes to their right to data privacy and ownership. Personal data belongs to the user, not tech giants or Internet providers; people must be empowered to choose not just how much is shared, but who stands to benefit from it.”