Americans would pay up front to keep their online identity and data private

2020 is off to a good start in the United States, with rising consumer awareness about privacy matters, according to new research published on National Data Privacy Day.

After America”s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) showed in a recent study that Americans are starting to put privacy first and convenience second when it comes to their health data, a survey by privacy management firm DataGrail finds that almost three quarters of Americans would pay more to online service providers (retailers, ecommerce and social media) to ensure they don’t sell their data, show them ads, or use their data for marketing or sales.

The research was published on January 28, which was named Data Privacy Day in an international effort to empower individuals and business to respect privacy, safeguard data and enable trust.

Enlisting OnePoll to conduct an online survey, DataGrail asked 2,000 Americans aged 18 and over how they feel about businesses collecting their data in 2020. For example, 4 out of 5 agreed there should be a law to protect their personal data.

83 percent expect to control how their data is used at a business, a request that comes after many Americans have experienced failures in existing protections, DataGrail found. For instance, 62 percent of respondents said they continued to receive emails from a company despite exercising their right to unsubscribe from their newsletter.

“Connected” fears

Concerns are also increasing on the Internet of Things (IoT) front. Owners of connected devices are downright scared that their vendors are eavesdropping on them.

More than 82 percent of people in the survey confessed they had concerns about businesses monitoring or collecting data from their phone microphone, laptop webcams, or assistants like Amazon Echo and Google Home.

A “CCPA” for everyone

Only 24 percent of Americans said they were familiar with or had heard of the newly instated California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). They were asked how they”d exercise their rights under similar legislation in their own state:

• 65%  would like to have access to what information businesses are collecting about them.
• 62% of people would like the right to opt-out and tell a business not to share or sell personal information.
• 58% of people would like the right to protections against businesses that do not uphold the value of their privacy.
• 49% of people would like the right to delete their personal data held by the business.

Consumers are also more than willing to take their wallets elsewhere, even if it meant disrupting their shopping preferences

Consumers would be willing to change their shopping preferences and take their business elsewhere if they discovered their private data was not protected or that their data was being sold. Furthermore, 77% would not shop at their favorite retailer if they found they did not keep their personal data safe, the survey shows. Americans would also pay more for better privacy protections.