Considering all the news about Facebook and Cambridge Analytica it shouldn’t come as much of a shock to find out that folks are feeling a bit unsettled about social media these days. In fact, a new survey finds 60% of Americans don’t trust that social media sites are protecting their privacy online.
Overall, 73% of Americans are convinced social media companies are selling their data, which is a whopping increase of 24% from the last survey in 2014. Of course that isn’t stopping folks from using such sites, with 87% of Americans saying they still use social media daily.
So what are Americans’ biggest fears when it comes to online privacy? Well, 86% are worried about having personal data stolen, while another 85% are worried about identity theft, and 84% are worried about downloading virus/malware.
As for what needs to be done, more laws may be the answer. The survey finds that 40% of Americans believe current privacy laws are too week and don’t provide reasonable protections, while only 28% think Congress understands the implications of online privacy.
Source: Online Privacy Data