A n upcoming report says that while 70% of online consumers say that theyire worried about their privacy, thereis very little theyire willing to do about it themselves. According to a New York Times article, a report to be released today by Jupiter Research shows that both consumers and businesses are particularly lax when it comes to protecting their own privacy.
Although 70 percent of online consumers say they are worried about online privacy, the study found, just 40 percent read Web site privacy statements, and 82 percent would give personal information to new shopping sites in exchange for a chance to win $100 in a sweepstakes.
The business attitudes toward online privacy are slightly more difficult to quantify, but Rob Leathern, who wrote the Jupiter report, said that most companies budgeted less than $40,000 annually for online privacy initiatives.
Mr. Leathern added that consumers would be more likely to take responsibility for their own privacy concerns if businesses made it easier for them to do so. The article goes on to discuss the slow adoption of privacy protection methods by companies, and suggests that despite many companiesi good efforts, their competitors are still unwilling to follow suit. The good news, according to the article, is that privacy-conscious companies such as Zero Knowledge foresee an inreased awareness of privacy concerns over the next couple of years.
You can read the article in full at the New York Timesi Web site. A free subscription is required.