Online privacy is a big issue at the moment. The revelations by the whistleblower Edward Snowden about the NSA’s data-gathering activities have caused a huge storm across the globe, and people are more concerned about their privacy being invaded than ever before.
One reason people are more worried is because they are storing greater amounts of data in the cloud. Most people now carry out the majority of their communications online, and they also store documents and photographs in the cloud. Businesses keep even more sensitive data online.
Now a survey by ComRes, which was commissioned by Big Brother Watch, has revealed that people all over the world want more done to protect their online privacy. 10,354 people from nine countries were polled for the report, the results of which you can find here, and overall 79% of respondents said that online privacy was a concern.
In addition:
– 41% said the fact that large companies are gathering huge amounts of our personal data for their own use is harming consumers.
– 65% said that regulators should put more effort into forcing Google to comply with the regulations that are in place to protect online privacy and data
However, as expected, the results differed by region. Germany has much stronger data protection laws than other countries, which are strongly enforced, and 54% of people polled here said they are not concerned about their online privacy. This compares to 94% in India stating that they are concerned, as well as 90% in Brazil and 68% in the UK.
It is clear that people do not feel that enough is being done to protect their online privacy. People deserve greater protection for their online data, but as more revelations come out about government activities, the amount of people across the world who are concerned about their private data is only likely to increase.
Image courtesy of suphakit73 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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