Americans and Privacy: Care and Prepare!

We’ve come a long way from 1968 when artist Andy Warhol predicted that everyone would be world-famous for 15 minutes. Today, anyone with an Internet connection is being watched around the clock by businesses, tech companies, and governments, and by bad actors looking to cash in on us. And studies show that Americans are worried about losing our privacy but aren’t doing enough to protect it.

A recent survey by ARM Treasure Data found that over 77 percent of Americans are in favor of a federal data privacy law. But the survey also found that a third of us would give up our personal information for discounts, special offers, or product samples. And many of us give up personal info every day for the convenience of online apps or just the entertainment of a social media quiz.

If Americans are worried about privacy, why don’t we do more to protect ourselves? Online privacy threats are complex and ever-changing, so people may not know what is and isn’t risky. For example, the ARM survey found that people were more comfortable handing over email addresses and birthdays than their phone numbers, even though email addresses are used as user IDs on many online accounts, and birthdays are a key identifier on medical records. Some people may not know how to protect themselves. A Pew Research survey found that 74 percent of Facebook users have taken actions to improve their privacy, but older, potentially less tech-savvy users are only half as likely to adjust their privacy settings and 75 percent less likely to delete a social media app than younger users.

Many Americans may also have simply given up. Another Pew Research poll found that Americans are very much aware of the risks of data collection, but they are “uncertain, resigned, and annoyed” at their inability to control how companies collect and use their data.

Privacy threats are a real and rapidly growing issue, so we can’t afford to give in or give up on protecting ourselves. You would never say, “Car accidents can happen no matter what I do, so I won’t service my car or buy auto insurance,” would you? Of course not. You have to take the same “prevent and prepare” approach to privacy threats. ​

Here are the top three things that every American can do to protect themselves:

• Get informed. Find out how to use privacy settings on social media, request your credit reports, and learn how to use tools like credit freezes or locks to protect your financial accounts. And read up on the latest threats and how to protect yourself.
• Get protected. Given the massive data breaches in recent years, you can assume your personal information has already been stolen, So, having identity protection should be as routine as renewing your car insurance, and it should always be a plan like MyIDCare that includes expert identity recovery services. And now MyIDCare also offers SocialSentry™ with our Premier memberships, the first-ever social media privacy service designed to protect consumers from social media account takeover, fraud, and the embarrassment of inappropriate content being posted on your profile.
• Speak up. We need stronger privacy laws! If you agree, call or write your federal and state legislators and express your concerns. (California has already passed a new law giving consumers control over data collection and prohibiting businesses from discriminating against customers who opt-out or collecting data on anyone under age 16.)

Privacy risks are daunting, but we have the power to fight back. As consumers and citizens, we just need to care, prepare, and get involved.​