MOST NOW FEAR THEIR LIVES ARE OPEN BOOK
For a long time, people thought: ‘Well, I have nothing to hide,’ one expert said. But we do have things we want to hide, she said, whether it’s credit card information or info about our families
SAN FRANCISCO – Americans overwhelmingly think they’ve lost control of how their personal information is collected and used by companies. And a majority say they are concerned about the government’s monitoring of phone calls and Internet communication, a survey released Wednesday finds.
The research was done by the non-partisan Pew Research Center’s Internet Project. It focused on American’s perceptions of privacy and online behavior after Edward Snowden revealed the extent of U.S. government surveillance programs last year.
The survey “puts some hard numbers behind the suspicion that many of us have had, that surveillance by NSA has really impacted the American mind-set on privacy,” said Marc Rotenberg with the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, D.C.
The Pew survey found that Americans simply don’t trust companies when it comes to their personal information — 91% either agreed or strongly agreed that consumers have lost control.
They trust the government only slightly less — 80% agree or strongly agree that Americans should be concerned about the government’s monitoring of their communication.
There was a universal lack of confidence in the privacy of everyday methods of communication.
Asked about landlines, cell phones, e-mail, text messages, chat and social media, not one was considered “very secure” by a majority of respondents…
Since birth, nothing much has changed, birth certificate, all personal details, school, all personal details, school certificate, add more details, apply for a job, give more details and receive a Social Security Number, buy a vehicle and give personal details for insurance and registration, a collision, give all details including driver’s licence, marriage, give all personal details, bank account, mortgage, hire purchase, credit card, give all details, newborn child, give details, and so it goes.
Why feel insecure, the truth is out there, it always has been, get on with living, quit stressing over a system which has been in place for more years than you realize, stop worrying about the weeds in the garden, go smell the roses.