Contributed ArticleIn a recent survey commissioned by VMware, two thirds 66% of consumers admitted to not knowing who has access to their personal data or how it’s used.
Whether people will change their behaviour is another matter. The same research reveals that 58% of consumers are worried third parties can see where they travel, where they shop and what they buy, and nearly half 48% are paranoid that organisations are recording what they do on their devices. Yet despite these concerns, 43% admit to having personal profiles on social media which could compromise their privacy.
66% of consumers admitted to not knowing who has access to their personal data or how it is used
This gap between intent ‘I want to stream movies via a service that knows my tastes in film and protects that data’ and behaviour ‘I don’t want the hassle of ticking boxes or reading a consent form about how the service uses my data’ presents a privacy challenge that organisations need to engage with.
Being conscientious stewards of personal information is arguably a responsibility and an opportunity that all organisations share. Surely it is only right that we work towards a state where customers of all organisations are confident their data is secure and being used responsibly.
So, what action can companies take to create the trusted relationship they need with customers?
Firstly, data security is key. Organisations must mitigate cyberthreats and inadvertent misuse of data through comprehensive data security policies covering people, processes and digital services.
58% of consumers are worried third parties can see where they travel, where they shop and what they buy
Resting on this foundation of strong cybersecurity controls is data privacy—the second pillar of customer trust. In the past, privacy centred on the idea of transparency. Companies would consider their obligations met if users were notified about how their data was going to be used when they signed up for a service. Indeed, this was the basic premise underlying GDPR in Europe.
But today that level of transparency is not enough. Many consumers understandably feel the take it or leave it privacy notices on apps and websites don’t provide any meaningful choices or control—after all, if they don’t agree, they might not be able to use the service. This lack of control is reflected in the same survey—well over a third of people 40% admit to blindly accepting all cookies on websites without further investigation to save time. Again, the intent versus behaviour dilemma.
Nearly half 48% are paranoid that organisations are recording what they do on their devices
Control and choice, as well as transparency, are now at the heart of the privacy issue. Organisations—particularly those in the technology industry—need to prioritise them, put them at the centre of design decisions along with data security and understand that taking a privacy-centric approach can exist in harmony with innovation.
Re-evaluating how to connect with customers in a privacy-centric way is something that businesses of all stripes owe their customers. If not, they risk losing them all together. But technology companies have obligations that are bigger than that.
Despite these concerns, 43% admit to having personal profiles on social media which could compromise their privacy
Focusing on security, privacy-by-design and transparency is not only the right thing to do for customers and for society, but it will also raise the bar for our entire industry. It is this collective responsibility in building trust among consumers that will bring digital economies to the next frontier.
Organisations need to prioritise centre of design along with data security and understand that a privacy-centric approach can exist in harmony with innovation.
