Most Americans don't think it's possible to keep their data private, report says
More than 60 percent of US adults believe it's impossible to go one day without a company or the government collecting data from them, Pew Research Center reports.
- She received the Renau Writing Scholarship in 2016 from the University of Louisville's communication department.
Data collection may be considered part of daily life now for Americans, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center. Over 60% of US adults reported that they didn't think it was possible to go a day without the government or companies collecting data from them.
The report showed that 81% of adults said they think that the risks of widespread data collection outweigh the benefits. In addition, a majority of Americans said they're concerned with how their data is potentially being used by companies and the government. More than 80% of those surveyed said they felt a lack of control over their data. More than half said they understand very little about data collection and use.
Twenty-five percent of the surveyed adults said they agree to a privacy policy almost daily. Fewer reported that they actually read the policies before agreeing.
A potential aim of data collection done by companies is to help build customer profiles to better target sales based on habits. The increasing invasion has left most adults feeling a lack of control over who has access to their location, experiences, search terms and more.
The Pew Research Center conducted the survey of 4,272 US adults between June 3 and 17.
