Feb 10, 2014 // Andrew Stroup
According to recent research conducted by Harris Interactive, nearly everyone is concerned about online privacy. 92% of American internet users said that they were concerned with the security of their digital information, up from 89% one year ago.
While this may seem like old news, it’s having a very real impact on our online behavior. One of the main concerns facing internet users is how corporations use our personal data. Recent reports of massive account theft from major retailers like Target have done little to calm fears, and let’s face it, it’s down right creepy when you see 40 ads for headphones minutes after clicking on a link. As a result, many have turned off location settings on their phones to avoid being snooped on by app developers. All of this, combined with recent revelations of NSA eavesdropping, has made the average internet user extremely jaded.
The landscape of online interaction is changing drastically, and digital marketers have their work cut out for them to get potential customers to engage. Will better privacy protections help reassure the consumer? Who knows. The only thing that is certain is that this issue will continue to evolve as people start to recognize the full value of their personal data.
