Banking and texts top list of mobile privacy concerns according to Weve and IAB study
UK smartphone owners have cited companies gaining access to their mobile banking and text details as their greatest mobile privacy concerns, but are slightly more sanguine about sharing data on app and internet usage, according to new research published by the Internet Advertising Bureau and Weve.
Conducted by Kantar Media the study quizzed over 2,000 smartphone owners aged 16 and over and found that 46 per cent were concerned about their privacy whilst using a mobile device – although such concerns around advertising proved secondary compared to companies accessing financial information and text messages.
Just over half (54 per cent) said that they had taken measures to protect personal data on their phone with 50 per cent of those deleting text messages and a further 45 per cent erasing their browser history.
When it came to opting out of sharing data with third parties just 23 per cent did do however, with a similar number (29 per cent) opting out of tailored marketing messages. This was reflected in the fact that 39 per cent expected many mobile services to disappear without advertising whilst 48 per cent of 16-24 year olds said they were happy to view relevant ads if it enabled a better quality of service.
IAB’s public policy manager, Alex Scott said: “When it comes to mobile devices, privacy means a lot of different things in different contexts to people. From this research we also know that consumers are taking measures to address these specific privacy concerns themselves.
"However, the study also shows consumers crave clarity on data collection and what it’s used for. We have a collective responsibility to give consumers more control; as such we’re working to address transparency and control for mobile advertising privacy, to give consumers a consistent experience across devices.”