Reports: Some may not understand where data risks lie

Two new reports out this week shed light on what consumers know - and don't know - about data collection practices and data risks. And some of the findings indicate users' willingness to ignore data risks for certain outlets - including their favorite social media networks.

by Kristina Knight

First, out from ProPrivacy is a report finding that while more than two-thirds (68%) of consumers have deleted an app because of worries about their data privacy and more than half have deleted at least one social media app - 44% have deleted Facebook and 29% Instagram.

Still, many consumers continue to share personal information over social media and more than half have shown images of their children.

More information from ProPrivacy's report can be accessed here.

Data out from Viber shows similar results - while one-third of Americans they surveyed report worries over their data privacy only about 5% say they are concerned about data breaches from social media networks. This despite the fact that social media breaches have been shown to be some of the most worrisome data threats because of the way consumers use them to share that personal information.

"Consumers are more worried about tax identity theft (8%) than government surveillance (6%), a social media breach (5%) and online impersonation (3%)," write the report authors," write the report authors. "Nearly half of women (47%) and nearly three in 10 men (28%) say their biggest privacy concern this year is safeguarding their data. When asked what their biggest privacy concern this year is, more men (18%) said they are not concerned about privacy than women (15%)."

More data from Viber's Weighing Consumer Privacy Concerns in 2020 report can be found here.

Tags: advertising, advertising data, consumer data, data collection, data privacy, ProPrivacy, social marketing, Viber