EMC India has released the India and global findings of the EMC Privacy Index, a global study assessing consumer attitudes of online privacy. Spanning 15 countries and 15,000 consumers, the study explores how consumers worldwide view their online privacy rights and measures willingness to forfeit the benefits and conveniences of the connected world for the assurances of privacy.
Three distinct privacy paradoxes emerged from the global results –
- “We Want it All” Paradox: Consumers say they want all conveniences and benefits of digital technology, yet say they are unwilling to trade privacy to get them
- “Take No Action” Paradox: Although privacy risks directly impact many consumers, most say they take virtually no special action to protect their privacy – instead placing the onus on those handling their information such as government and businesses
- “Social Sharing” Paradox: Users of social media sites claim theyvalue privacy, yet they say they freely share large quantities of personal data – despite expressing a lack of confidence and trust in those institutions to protect that information.
“Social Sharing” Paradox
- Use of social media sites continues to explode despite:
A vast majority of Indian consumers, 84% say they don’t like anyone knowing anything about them or their habits unless they make a decision themselves to share that information.
A Stark Privacy Outlook
- The confidence people have in their levels of privacy is degrading over time –
o Compared to a year ago, 51% Indian respondentsfeel they have less privacy now
- A large majority of Indian respondents – 59% expect privacy will decrease in the next five years
These findings suggest consumers are likely to engage in more online activities with institutions that demonstrate greater privacy protection. This presents real opportunities that business and governments must not ignore.
The study is instructive for consumers, businesses and technology providers.
- For consumers it reinforces the need to increase their awareness of privacy issues and to take personal action to protect their own privacy.
- For businesses the imperative is to understand the range of customer perception. Winners and losers will be determined by those businesses that demonstrate the most relevant and practical privacy practices for their customers. The more evident it is that a business is committed to privacy protection the more likely it will attract and increase levels of consumer engagement.
- Critical to helping businesses deliver on their commitment to privacy protection are technology providers, which need to find ways to improve privacy across their offerings without compromising user experience, performance or capability.
According to Rajesh Janey, President, India & SAARC, EMC Corporation, “The unprecedented potential of Cloud and Big Data to drive commerce and societal advancement rests on a foundation of trust. Individuals need to know that their data not only is secure, but that its privacy is protected. The Privacy Index reveals a global divergence of views around these critical issues of our time, and a warning call that responsibility for transparency, fairness, safe online behavior and trustworthy use of personal data must be shared by business, governments and individuals alike.”
Commenting on this study, Dr. Kamlesh Bajaj, CEO, Data Security Council of India, said, “In the information age, privacy has become a prime concern globally. While traditionally privacy has been perceived differently by different societies, technology advancement has brought forth similar concerns and responses across the world. Privacy in India is undergoing transformation – India is evolving from a collective society to an individualistic society and technology is acting as a major catalyst. Indian citizens are increasingly becoming aware of privacy concerns especially those living in urban areas. On the other hand, there are many who do not understand the privacy implications of technology but are getting integrated in a technology-enabled environment. Businesses in India have started to realize the importance of privacy protection in enhancing customer trust and some pro-active organizations have started to implement privacy programs. To establish a strong privacy regime in the country going forward, efforts of all stakeholders including policy makers, industry and citizens need to converge”.
