Privacy advocates have often floated the idea that Facebook should let people pay a subscription to use the platform instead of it showing users ads based on data it collects. Apparently, just 12% would be willing to pay to use Facebook according to a recent study conducted by Mozilla following the Cambridge Analytica scandal that gripped the social media giant. Heavy media scrutiny eventually lead to the analytics firm to file for bankruptcy but, amidst the wind down, Emerdata has come to the fore with much of it management having come from Cambridge Analytica.
The survey also showed that while 76% were concerned about the safety of their personal information online, only 24% had made changes to their Facebook account in response to privacy concerns. While the majority was quite lax about responding to the issue, 65% of those surveyed said that they themselves should be responsible for protecting their information, and not companies or governments. Overall the study shows that people are creeped out by the notion of the loss of control of their data, but when it comes to action, only a minority did anything as a result of the recent revelations.
Here’s a break down of the findings:
How people feel:
- 83% don’t want their information out there without their control or consent.
- 76% very concerned about the safety of their personal online data.
- 65% feel they are most responsible for keeping their online data safe.
- 62% are wary or scared of Facebook’s impact.
What people do:
- 63% reject the idea of paying for Facebook.
- 35% know how to opt out of third-party tracking apps.
- 22% know what type of personal data Facebook collects on them.
- 20% made changes on Facebook based on Cambridge Analytica revelations.
- 16% know how to find what data Facebook has collected on them.
- 17% know how to browse Facebook while limiting tracking.
To find out more about the study, Mozilla has built an interactive tool to dive deeper into the findings.
Source: Mozilla