Survey Shows 70% of World Uncomfortable with Big Tech’s Data Gathering
Many people are well aware of the US government’s investigation into tech giants and their mission to regulate and tax them appropriately. However, as a new survey shows, citizens of the US are not the only ones concerned about Big Tech having access to private data. In a study of 10,000 people across nine countries, 7 out of 10 respondents stated that they believed that governments should start regulating how Big Tech uses personal data they collect.
A Clear Consensus
The poll raises an important fact – that the average citizen in the world is concerned about how Big tech collects data about them, and what that data is being used for. 59% of the respondents were concerned about losing control over their personal data. 62% mentioned that they were worried about big tech’s violation of their right to privacy. Over half of those surveyed admitted that they were concerned that their online presence would reveal a lot about them, while almost a third were worried that state agencies could use that data to target them.
Concerns About Big Tech’s Business Models
On the internet today, tech companies have invested a lot of money into collecting data. Data harvesting through public profiles allow them to then sell that data to interested parties, which can then use it to interact favorably with an individual. 77% of respondents claimed that they saw this as a problem. More than half of the respondents (53%) justified their response by mentioning that this information may be used to influence them politically. 6 out of 10 people surveyed considered this business model as an invasion of personal privacy.
Violation of the Right to Privacy
The Cambridge Analytica scandal isn’t put to bed as yet, and it raises significant questions about how data collected by Tech Giants may play a role in influencing people to think a certain way. Governmental regulation of Big Tech may be an answer, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be the only one. If the US anti-trust ruling goes against these tech companies, they may be forced to break down into smaller entities, making them less of a threat to individual privacy.
