The reluctance on the part of consumers about the use of personal data is a sign that consumers are becoming more knowledgeable about what companies, who develop connected technologies, are doing with the data collected. This could push for new privacy laws or require a rethink on the part of technology companies.
These are the conclusions of a new report into data privacy by HERE Technologies. The report is titled “Privacy and Location Data: Global Consumer Study.” The study concludes that current privacy practices will not work, without modification, in an autonomous world.
The report goes on to state that if a person’s privacy is fundamentally about his or her control over information relating to themselves, it becomes necessary to ask the question: “how will that person control his/her exposure to others in the Internet of Everything — in a world where time-sensitive, machine-to-machine communications are more widespread?”
This important point was drawn out from a quantitative survey of over 8,000 consumers across eight countries. The survey was followed up by a qualitative assessment in the form of in-depth interviews, undertaken with experts on the topic of data privacy and security. The consumers were drawn from Germany, the U.K. and the U.S.
Earlier this year Digital Journal looked at similar findings, in relation to location data. It was noted that consumers are voicing concerns about the way companies are using their location data. According to HERE Technologies, this also required a rethink in readiness for new services such as autonomous cars and drone deliveries.
With the issue of privacy, the report establishes that there is a strong lack of trust in data collectors. About 80 percent of consumers stated that they do not fully trust that services collecting their location data will handle their data as they think it should be. Furthermore, 90 percent of consumers dislike the current privacy practices. In relation to this, 84 percent of consumers do not trust laws and regulations to ensure that there is no misuse of location data.
Trust in the data collector impacts data sharing willingness and this is likely to impact on the future development and, perhaps sale, of autonomous and connected technologies. If companies do not come together to address this issue, then this could lead to more regulation, like the European Union’s forthcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). For more about the GDPR, see the Digital Journal article “European business needs to get smart about data protection.”
An alternative model is with consumers seeking greater protection for themselves. The study results found that 65 percent of those polled would consider using a ‘Privacy Profile’; 63 percent would consider using a ‘Privacy Service’; and 51 percent would consider using a ‘Personal Data Manager’ in an ever expanding autonomous world.
