CARY – A research study released by Cary-based SAS based on a survey of U.S. citizens found that Americans are increasingly concerned about how their personal data is gathered, used, and stored online, with 73 percent reporting that their concerns have increased in the last few years.
But the most surprising finding of the SAS survey is that Americans may be ready for federal regulation similar to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that took effect in the European Union in May 2018.
Two-thirds of the survey respondents indicated that they believe that the U.S. government ought to do more to protect data privacy.
Survey finds Americans want more data protection
“The survey results clearly show that consumers value their data privacy and are greatly concerned about potential misuse,” said Todd Wright, global lead for GDPR Solutions at SAS. “It’s clear that in this age of increased data privacy concerns, even without a more stringent data privacy law in the US, organizations that treat their customers’ data with care will be rewarded, and those that don’t risk the loss of reputation and customers.”
Americans taking action
Overall, Americans believe that the U.S. government should take action. However, Americans are also taking action to protect their own data privacy, the survey found.
Concerns grow about data
Two-thirds of those surveyed reported that they’ve already taken steps to secure their data including changing privacy settings, changing or not accepting cookies, declining one or more terms of agreement, deleting an application from a mobile device, or removing a social media account. And 38 percent of respondents reported that they are now using social media less often, due to privacy concerns, and only 14 percent of respondents were very or extremely confident that social media companies keep their data secure.
Americans can and must take action on their own, said Theresa Payton, the former White House CIO under George W. Bush and founder of Charlotte-based Fortalice Solutions, in an interview with WRAL Tech Wire earlier this year.
Are Americans ready for GDPR?
Facebook is again in the news with the release of hundreds of pages of internal emails by a United Kingdom parliamentary committee last week. With growing concerns at Twitter, Google, and other technology companies about the use of consumer data and privacy, and a new Congress set to begin in January 2019, is the U.S. ready and willing for their own version of the GDPR?
The GDPR makes organizations that gather data on European Union residents accountable for the personal data protection and gives residents rights over their personal data, including the rights to access, query, and erase personal data held by organizations.
Biggest concerns about data
The SAS survey found that of those who believe the U.S. needs to have more data privacy regulation, 83 percent would like to the right to tell an organization not to share or sell their personal information and 80 percent want the right to know where and to whom their data is being sold.
Some U.S. states are already taking action. California recently passed legislation similar to the EU’s GDPR that will take effect in 2020 and Vermont became the first state to enact a law that regulates data brokers who buy and sell personal information.
“These state laws are likely the beginning of US legislation,” said Lisa Loftis, a thought leader on the SAS customer intelligence team. “Organizations are still wrestling with existing regulations like GDPR, and new regulations like a US government data privacy law could prove challenging.”
More than 500 people participated in the survey.
