In a sign that we are becoming increasingly worried about privacy, a new study has revealed that more than one in three people who have used an app on their smartphone or tablet have deleted it because they think their data is being overused.
The survey, conducted by YouGov on behalf of law firm Osborne Clarke and app developer Mubaloo, shows that 35% of respondents said they had deleted apps because they felt personal data was being used for purposes they had not agreed to.
In response, Osborne Clarke is calling on businesses to ensure that they have the right measures in place to protect and correctly use personal data.
With the rise of integrated payments and mobile retail, the survey also found that only a quarter of people trust companies to protect the data gathered through mobile apps.
While people understand that the use of free apps means giving up a certain amount of basic data, companies eager to capitalise on this data need to make sure they do not fall foul of an increasingly ‘data savvy’ public, Osborne Clarke said.
“Companies need to constantly review their position in relation to using consumers’ data – what may be well perceived to be acceptable one week, may have massively changed the next because of a change in regulations or the enforcement agenda of the regulators, or a leak or flaw being exploited.
“Also, as this survey demonstrates, consumer attitudes can change very quickly in this space. Just nine months or so ago, research conducted for Ofcom indicated an implicit and in many cases misplaced trust in apps’ use of personal data compared to the user experience when browsing the internet generally. These new findings suggest consumers are rapidly becoming much more savvy and are therefore of particular concern.”
Dr. Mark Mason, CEO and founder of Mubaloo, added: “When businesses are building mobile applications, the objective has to be to add value to the customer during the interaction. If this value is realised, then customers are prepared to share a certain amount of personal information.
“Businesses need to understand that the balance between perceived value and disclosure is very delicate and transparency over data usage is absolutely essential.”
However, Nick Adams, head of digital strategy and development at Mindshare, says app deletion is about more than just data concerns.
“People delete apps for all manner of reasons and there are some fairly predictable behaviours around app deletion. Various app tracking companies publish data showing the ‘average half life’ of apps from various sectors.
“For example, games apps tend to get deleted far more quickly than news apps – by a factor of three – but the reasons for deletion are probably largely about the user having exhausted the possibilities of the game rather than fears around privacy.
“However, I am not surprised to hear from this new research that people are becoming savvier about the fact they are giving up valuable personal data in return for some of these free apps.”
