On Data Privacy Day 2013, TRUSTe Research Reveals Increase in Mobile Privacy Concerns with 2013 Consumer Privacy Index

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TRUSTe 2013 U.S. Consumer Confidence Index Shows 72 Percent of Smartphone Users Are More Concerned About Privacy on Their Smartphone Than They Were a Year Ago.

San Francisco, California, US., February 4, 2013 - (PressReleasePoint) - To kick off Data Privacy Day 2013 (#DPD2013), TRUSTe®, the leading privacy management solutions provider, today released its 2013 U.S. Consumer Confidence Index, which shows that a high proportion of U.S adults aged 18 and older remain worried about their privacy online and user mistrust and the potential impact on business are growing. The research also shows 72 percent of smartphone users say they are more concerned about privacy on their smartphone than they were one year ago; and 81 percent of smartphone users say they are avoiding applications that they don’t believe protect their privacy.

In addition, TRUSTe today concurrently released its 2013 Great Britain Consumer Confidence Index. (See UK release here.) TRUSTe also announced its participation in a series of educational events taking place the week of January 28, 2013, in support of Data Privacy Day.

"With e-commerce booming, and mobile phones predicted to overtake PCs as the most popular way to get online, it's clear that mobile privacy is the latest hot issue for consumers and legislators alike," said Chris Babel, CEO of TRUSTe. "As a Data Privacy Day Champion, TRUSTe will continue to highlight to businesses that they should take consumer privacy concerns seriously and take decisive action to increase consumer confidence online."

Findings from the TRUSTe 2013 U.S. Consumer Confidence Index
Conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of TRUSTe, the 2013 U.S. survey that was fielded online among 2,166 U.S. adults between January 7-9, 2013, shows that overall privacy concerns of U.S. online adults remain high, with 89 percent worrying at least sometimes about their general online privacy compared with 90 percent in 2012 findings. However, mistrust and the potential impact on business are increasing. The survey reveals that:

• 43 percent of online U.S. adults (up two percent from Q1 2012) do not trust companies with their personal information; and
• 89 percent of consumers (up one percent from Q1 2012) said that they avoided doing business with companies they do not believe protect their privacy online.

When U.S. online adults were asked in more detail about different types of activities that they are concerned about, online shopping and using social networks topped the list of U.S. online privacy concerns. Specific findings include:

• 89 percent of online shoppers worry about their privacy at least sometimes;
• 87 percent of those who use social networks have concerns at least some of the time; and
• 86 percent of those who bank online are concerned at least some of the time, as well as 77 percent of those who use mobile applications and 82 percent who use e-mail.

Additionally, a majority of U.S. online adults (94 percent) want the ability to control who can collect their personal information and who can track their activities online.

Accessing the Privacy Index and Survey Methodology
The TRUSTe 2013 U.S. Privacy Index Series can be accessed here, along with the complete results of the study. Harris Interactive conducted the survey online on behalf of TRUSTe and is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

TRUSTe Data Privacy Day 2013 Educational Events
To show its support for Data Privacy Day 2013, TRUSTe will participate in a series of educational events, including:

• Chris Babel, CEO of TRUSTe, will speak about innovation in privacy and impact on business at the Seattle OTA Data Privacy Day Town Hall on January 30;
• Kevin Trilli, vice president, products of TRUSTe, will address website privacy and compliance at the San Francisco Ensighten Agility 2013 conference on January 31;
• TRUSTe will co-host a special San Francisco IAPP "Privacy After Hours" event January 28; and
• Joanne Furtsch, director, product policy of TRUSTe, will host the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) Privacy Committee at the San Francisco MMA Forum being held on January 29-30.

In addition, TRUSTe has been named as a Data Privacy Day Champion for its support of Data Privacy Day 2013 (#DPD13) with the National Cyber Security Alliance.

About TRUSTe
TRUSTe is the leading global privacy management solutions provider and offers a broad suite of solutions that enable multinational companies to safely and efficiently handle the customer data powering their online businesses - including advertising, cloud services, mobile applications, and websites. Over 5,000 web properties from top companies like Apple, Disney, eBay, Forbes, HP, and Microsoft rely on TRUSTe to ensure compliance with evolving and complex international privacy requirements. TRUSTe's mission, based on a "Truth in Privacy" framework, is built on a solid foundation of transparency, choice and accountability regarding the collection and use of personal information. TRUSTe's privacy seal is recognized and trusted by millions of consumers worldwide as a sign of responsible privacy practices. For additional information on TRUSTe and its offerings, please visit http://www.truste.com.