It seems that consumers are still confused about how their privacy is being handled. According to new research released Tuesday by digital advertising platform Choozle, they want companies to do more to protect them.
In the report, a full 89 percent of consumers who were polled wants companies to take additional steps to protect their data. Seventy-eight percent think the US government should get involved by mandating stricter privacy and security standards.
The research done by Choozle is based on a survey of 502 adult US consumers representing a variety of ages and income levels. The company’s “2018 Digital Advertising Trends Survey” checked in with consumers to get their opinions on privacy and see if predicted trends
44 percent of respondents knew little to nothing about what data companies hold on, while 63 percent said that they knew companies make money selling their personal data.
The report revealed that, despite the fact that consumers are afforded increased data privacy rights because of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act, they lagged behind when it came to understanding the details.
Only 23 percent of the respondents knew that the FTC is the agency that protects consumer privacy and security in the US. 60 percent admitted that they had no idea what GDPR even was, even though they had three answers to choose from.
Jeffrey Finch, chief product officer for Choozle, said that these results show that marketers should focus more on transparency.
“These findings represent an adverse relationship between consumer trust and the advertising industry,” Finch said. “Companies constantly push a transparency-focused agenda, but consumers haven’t experienced that this year, so there’s some rebuilding to do. This should be an unspoken trend for all companies, this year and beyond.”