The question of privacy it becomes more and more central to many people who spend their time online. The supervisory authorities and European regulations approve regulations and sanctions to protect our data on the internet but users stay alert. So that the number of people requesting the deletion of their data increases and who renounces a service (especially social networks) in the name of privacy. The new data from Cisco seem to underline this trend: we can no longer talk about the web without the issue of personal data security.
More privacy-conscious users, requests for data deletion are growing
The Cisco 2021 Consumer Privacy Survey was born with the idea of enlightening companies on the subject of data processing. But research can also be used to give a general framework of the relationship between users and privacy. Cisco has in fact asked 2,600 adults in 12 different countries (5 in Europe, 4 in Asia / Pacific and 3 in the Americas) what they think of the issue of privacy and the data is quite clear. Andrea Negroni, country leader of cybersecurity for Cisco Italy explains: “Consumers want to know what information is collected, for what purpose and how it is processed. The distrust of companies depends on the ability of the latter to answer these questions and to guarantee the protection of users’ data ”.
A condition companies have to cope with. But also a clear vision of the change of perspective on the part of users. Data processing is becoming central to the online experience. It is no longer just a matter of ignoring or not ignoring cookie warnings. In fact even the 46% of users say worried why he does not think he is able to defend his data.
The main reason for this lack of trust appears to be the lack of clarity and transparency. In fact the 76% of respondents do not understand how their data will be used by businesses. And this convinces them to ask for the protection of their privacy by deleting their data.
A third of respondents abound on social media, unsure about the use of their data
The number of people asking to change or delete their data continues to increase. So much so that some users even go as far as terminate your relationship with a company in order to protect their privacy. In fact, in the report we read that one third of the respondents stopped social media services because fearful of data processing.
But if social media is the most “feared” category by privacy activists, the abundance of services affects many other sectors. 28% changed internet access provider. 19% stopped working with a retailer (from e-commerce sites to physical stores with online services). 19% changed supplier of credit card and 18% did not trust the privacy in the institution bank O financial.
Of all, the category of “millennials” shows the greatest attention to privacy. Between 25 and 34, 44% are “privacy activists”. People who take action when they feel the protection of their data is infringed. And this suggests that the trend may still increase.
And our country is in third place for the deletion of data from an online service. In fact, Italy climbs on the podium with 25%, behind Brazil (26%) and India (37%). This translates into a quarter of the population showing low confidence in companies’ processing of data.
Privacy and data deletion, little knowledge of regulations
Although attention to the issue of privacy is on the rise, knowledge of the laws that regulate this right does not grow proportionally, on the contrary. Only 44% of Italians declare they understand the GDPR and the privacy legislation. A value that rises to 46% in Germany, 55% in France and 58% in the United Kingdom. But that in the rest of the world is even lower (Japan 25%, China 33%, Brazil 37%).
But according to Cisco experts, this lack of understanding is physiological. Knowledge of complex regulations takes time. However, the fact that many people are interested could change these percentages in the coming years. The number of people who understood the GDPR it could grow in the medium term.
The attention to privacy is not limited only to the online world. 60% believe it is correct to share vaccination status before entering the workplace. There remains therefore a significant percentage that puts attention to privacy first, even in these pandemic moments. In Italy the percentage rises to 68%, the lowest rate is in Germany (48%) while it rises to 77% in China.
Fear of artificial intelligence, especially in the workplace
According to data collected by Cisco, the 56% expressed concern about the management of the data by theartificial intelligence. In particular, they do not share the use of this technology for determine the assumptions in the workplace. In fact, this technology uses the collected data to assess an individual’s work ethic or mental health status. A rapid but invasive analysis, which moreover does not explain the decision-making method. So there is also fear that the outcomes are skewed or misled by algorithm biases.
Privacy becomes an important value for evaluating a company
Ultimately, Cisco warns companies that users pay close attention to the issue of data protection. Andrea Negroni reiterates that: “To consolidate the relationship of trust with consumers, the company must stand out for a clear communication of the aspects relating to data processing and must give guarantees to users that any unauthorized access to their information will be prevented. It will also have to prove capable of protecting data from possible violations and ensuring that suppliers also comply with standards and certifications ”.
In other words, attention to privacy makes a difference when choosing a product or service. It becomes as important as other values such as cost and functionality. We have seen this over the past year with the growth of Telegram, when the policy change of WhatsApp it intimidated users. AND Apple has included it among the cornerstones of its marketing: just look at any commercial of the new Apple products to realize it.
The Cisco report therefore confirms a trend we have already seen in the world of technology. People are paying more and more attention to privacy, so much so that they get to delete the collected data and abandon services few clear ones with their own policies. And this can have a stronger impact than any sanction from the Privacy Guarantor and European legislation. Users “vote with their feet”, abandoning services that do not protect data. The economic incentive could change business plans far more than fines and lawsuits could ever do. As has happened with environmental issues, in the coming years we will see more and more companies supporting privacy and investing to excel in this field.
In this way, companies will have more income. And (hopefully) we will have more privacy.