EMC Corporation has released the findings of the EMC Privacy Index, a global study assessing consumer attitudes towards online privacy. Spanning 15 countries and 15,000 consumers, the study reveals consumers hold viewpoints on privacy that vary widely by geography and the type of activity engaged in while online.
The long-standing debate over how much visibility governments and businesses should have regarding people’s private activities, communications and behaviors has continued into the online world. The EMC Privacy Index explores how consumers worldwide view their online privacy rights and measures willingness to forfeit the benefits and conveniences of the connected world for the assurances of privacy.
India, where privacy laws are still to come to the fore, fares quite poorly and is at the top of the list with a privacy index of 61, followed by the Middle East and China with a score of 54 each. Canada and Germany figure at the bottom, with scores of 39 and 36 respectively. The higher the score, the more willing are respondents in that country to trade privacy for convenience.
According to the study, people want benefits of technology without sacrificing privacy. However, three privacy paradoxes have emerged, each with powerful implications for consumers, businesses and technology providers:
“We Want it All” Paradox: Consumers say they want all conveniences and benefits of digital technology, yet say they are unwilling to trade privacy to get them
“Take No Action” Paradox: Although privacy risks directly impact many consumers, most say they take virtually no special action to protect their privacy – instead placing the onus on those handling their information such as government and businesses
“Social Sharing” Paradox: Users of social media sites claim they value privacy, yet they say they freely share large quantities of personal data – despite expressing a lack of confidence and trust in those institutions to protect that information
The EMC Privacy Index confirms people behave differently depending on the type of activity, which can be categorized with a number of online personas (or “Me’s”), each with different attitudes towards privacy. The six personas evaluated include:
Social Me – interaction with social media sites, email programs, text/SMS and other communications services
Financial Me – interaction with banks and other financial institutions
Citizen Me – interaction with government institutions
Medical Me – interaction with doctors, medical institutions and health insurers
Employee Me – interaction with employment-related systems and Web sites
Consumer Me – interaction with online stores
Viewpoints on privacy vary wildly by persona. For instance, viewed through the lense of the citizen persona respondents showed the greatest willingness to forfeit privacy – to gain protection or for easier and more efficient online access to government benefits. Meanwhile, their “social” persona claims to be the least willing to give up privacy for greater social connectedness.
Some of the key statistics based on responses from India include:
– 48% are okay with trading privacy for convenience as against the global average of 27%
– 77% of Indian consumers are confident in organisations’skills in protecting their privacy versus 58% of global consumers that feel the same way
– 78% say there should be laws to prohibit companies buying and selling data without opt-in consent
– 59% say they expect privacy to erode over the next five years; 51% say they have less privacy than a year ago.
