Brits worried about how much personal information they share online

Survey reveals need for more education and transparency

A new survey into consumer attitudes to digital identity has revealed that a majority of British consumers are concerned about how much personal data they have shared online and know little or nothing about their rights regarding their own data.

UK consumers worried about how much of their digital identity has been shared 

The survey, conducted by ComRes Global on behalf of digital identity management expert ForgeRock, found that more than half (57%) of the 2,093 Britons polled worry about how much personal data they have shared online. A third of parents in the UK (29%) are worried about how much information they have shared online about their children. 

The research also reveals a lack of awareness about how much information is available online –  46 per cent of consumers in the UK say they do not feel they know how much data is available about them online – and suggests many underestimate how much personal data has been shared online:

• 77 per cent of adults surveyed say that they use the internet to access products and services and make purchases – but only 39 per cent say that they have shared their debit or credit card details online
• Less than half of consumers (48%) think that Facebook holds information on whether or not users have children
• Just 19 per cent of consumers think Twitter has access to data on users’ political affiliations
• Less than a third (31%) of Britons believe that Instagram has access to location data on its users
• 19 per cent of consumers do not believe that Facebook has access to any personal data about its users