A new KPMG survey revealed that U.S. consumers are becoming increasingly concerned with, and distrustful of, how companies use, manage, and protect their personal data. According to the survey, 56 percent of Americans reported wanting more control over their personal data and insisted that both corporations and government must play an active role in protecting consumer data.
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Ninety-seven percent of American consumers indicated that data privacy is important to them, with 87 percent characterizing it as a human right. However, consumers are deeply suspicious of what companies are doing with their data: 68 percent don’t trust companies to ethically sell personal data, and 54 percent don’t trust companies to use personal data in an ethical way.
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“With consumers indicating that they see data privacy as a human right, and new legislation expected in the years ahead, it is critical that companies begin to mature privacy programs and policies,” said Orson Lucas, principal, KPMG Cyber Security Services. “Consumer demands for the ethical use of data and increased control over their own data must be a core consideration in developing data privacy policies and practices.
Even though respondents indicated that data privacy is important to them, most Americans still engage in online behaviors they consider risky. The survey found that:
—  About 75 percent of Americans say they consider it risky to use the same password for multiple accounts, use public Wi-Fi, or save a card to a website or online store. Yet, more than 40 percent engage in those behaviors.
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