74% of Internet Users Feel They Have No Control Over the Personal Information Collected on Them – Security Boulevard

New research conducted by the Ponemon Institute reveals a substantial lack of empowerment felt by consumers when it comes to their data privacy. There is also a gap between the data protection individuals want and what industry and regulators provide, pointing to a dire need for digital identity protection solutions on a consumer level.

According to the report (Privacy and Security in a Digital World: A Study of Consumers in the United States), consumers are still waiting on or expecting the federal government to drive data protection initiatives.

More than half of consumers (60%) believe government regulation should help address the privacy risks facing consumers today. Of those, 34% say government regulation is needed to protect personal privacy and 26% believe a hybrid option (regulation and self-regulation) should be pursued.

The study found that 64% of consumers think its creepy when they receive online ads that are relevant to them. And 73% of consumers want advertisers to allow them to opt-out of receiving ads on any specific topic at any time.

It is worth noting that the social microblogging platform Twitter indeed offers this opt-in/opt-out feature. This cannot be said about other popular online services, though.

The research reveals a lack of empowerment that consumers feel in their ability to protect their privacy, coupled with a bit of negligence on the users end.

While 74% of consumers say they have no control over the personal information that is collected on them, they are also not taking much action to limit the data they provide to the online services they employ on a daily basis, like Facebook and Google.

In fact, the report notes, 54% of consumers say they do not consciously limit what personal data they are providing.

This lack of empowerment can have devastating effects on consumers privacy if it goes unchecked, the researchers said.

Other key findings include:

According to Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of Ponemon Institute, these findings make a compelling case for the important role identity protection products and services play in protecting consumers privacy.

The study shows that many consumers are alarmed by the uptick in privacy scandals and want to protect their information, but dont know how to and feel like they lack the right tools to do so, Dr. Ponemon stressed.

At Bitdefender, we believe the more we control our digital footprint, the easier it is to manage our individual online reputation and personal data. Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection lets you see if your personal info has been stolen or made public, or in case the answer is Yes how much of it has actually been leaked.

Bitdefender DIP offers continuous identity monitoring, meaning you are alerted if any sensitive information that relates to your identity is found on the Dark Web or public databases. You get alerts about identity-theft attempts, data breaches, account take-overs and social media impersonations, and you can immediately take action to secure your online identity with only a few clicks. Learn more at https://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/digital-identity-protection.html.