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Louis Harris & Associates and Alan F. Westin.
Commerce, Communication and Privacy Online.
New York: Louis Harris & Associates, 1997.
Executive Summary
A Summary of the Findings
The results of Commerce, Communication,
and Privacy Online are based on a national cross-section of 1,009
American computer users 18+ years.
1. Of this total group of
computer users, 42% access the Internet at least once a month,
and 33% use an online service. Overall, 25% of today's computer
users say they both access the Internet and use an online service1, and 49% say they do neither.
- More than half (56%) report they
have seen, read, or heard "a great deal" about
the Internet. Younger, better educated, more
affluent, and male computer users are more likely to
report having seen, read, or heard "a great
deal" about the Internet.
- Internet users have been accessing
the Internet for an average of 2 years. They spend a mean
average of 5.9 hours on the Internet each week, with the
median user accessing the Internet for about 2.5 hours.
The average online service user has been using an online
service for slightly longer, 2.3 years, and spends a mean
average of 5.6 hours per week (and a median 2.6 hours)
online.
- Internet users express differing
levels of attachment to the Internet. This level of
attachment as assessed by asking Internet users to select
one of three statements describing the role of the
Internet in their lives. More than one-third (36%) of
Internet users say, "using the Internet has become
quite important to [them]." Another 57%, the
majority, say the Internet is useful,"but [they]
could easily do without it," and only 7% say,
''[they1 can't imagine living without using the Internet
regularly."
1)The four online services are America
Online, CompuServe, Prodigy, or Microsoft Network. Just over half
(5 I %) indicated they use America Online, 33% said Microsoft
Network, 11% said CompuServe, and 7% said Prodigy. One in ten
online service users (10%) said they don't know which online
service they use (Table 1.2). Unlike Internet service providers
who only provide access to the Internet, online services also
provide unique online environments which are entirely separate
from the Internet.
2. Half of those computer users
who do not currently access the Internet say they are likely to
start in the next year. A similar pattern is observed for those
who do not currently use an online service. The factor most
likely to influence whether or not the non-users join the
online world is privacy protection.
- More than half (54%) of all
computer users who are not currently using the Internet
say it is likely they will do so in the next year. Of
those who say it is unlikely that they will do so, 52%
say they would be more likely to do so if "the
privacy of [their] personal information and
communications would be protected."
- Nearly half of all computer users
who are not currently using an online service (46%) say
it is likely they will likely do so in the next year .
This figure also increases if the privacy of personal
information is protected; 48% of those who say it is
unlikely that they will start using an online service,
say that they would be more likely to do so if their
privacy is protected.
The Major Findings
Online Privacy Concerns
3. Fears about online privacy
invasions greatly exceed the actual occurrence of those invasions
many people worry about the security and confidentiality of their
personal information in an online environment, but very few
report they have actually been victimized while online.
- Although only 5% of all Internet
users say they have been the victim of what they felt was
an invasion of privacy while on the Internet, more than
half (53%) say they are either "very" concerned
(17%) or "somewhat" concerned (36%) that
information about which sites they visit will be linked
to their e-mail address and disclosed to some other
person or organization without their knowledge or
consent.
- Similarly, only 7% of online
service users say they have been the victim of what they
felt was an invasion of their privacy while using their
online services, but more than half are either
"very" concerned (23%) or "somewhat"
concerned (34%) that information about which sites they
visit will be become available to some other person or
organization without their knowledge or consent.
4. Computer users are more
concerned about the conf~dentiality of communicating by e-mail
over the Internet than they are about other widely used forms of
communication.This concern is greatest among computer users who
do not actually communicate via e-mail -they are more than twice
as likely as e-mail users to be concerned about this form of
communication.
- 59% of Internet users who send and
receive e-mail say they are either "very"
(22%) or "somewhat" (37%) concerned that the
content of what they communicate through the Internet
will be obtained by some other person or organization
without their knowledge or consent.
- These computer users are
relatively less concerned about communicating or sending
information by telephone, by fax, and through the U.S.
mail (48%, 51%, and 30%, respectively, are either
"very" or "somewhat" concerned about
communicating these ways).
- Nearly half of all computer users
who do not communicate via e-mail (47%) would be
"very" concerned about communicating by
e-mail through the Internet this figure is more than
twice that (22%) for people who do send and receive
e-mail.
- Like those who do use e-mail,
those who do not are more concerned about e-mail than
they are about other forms of communication (28%, 25%,
and 21% are "very" concerned about
communicating by telephone, fax, and mail, respectively,
compared to the 47% who would be "very"
concerned about communicating by e-mail).
5. When it comes to the
handling of confidential information, computer users have less
confidence in online companies than they do in other
institutions.
- While more than 75% of computer
users are "very" or "somewhat"
confident that employers,hospitals and clinics, and banks
use, in a proper manner, the personal or confidential
information people give them, only 48% express the same
confidence in companies providing online services, 46%
for companies providing direct Internet services, and 40%
for companies offering products and services on the
Internet.
- Internet and online service users
express higher confidence in direct Internet providers
and online service providers than do basic computer
users. In total, 52% of Internet and online service users
are "very" or "somewhat" confident
that companies providing online services use confidential
information properly, compared to only 43% of basic
computer users.
- Similarly, 52% of Internet users
and 50% of online service users say that they are
"very" or "somewhat" confident that
companies providing direct Internet service treat
confidential information properly. Only 41% of basic
computer users agree.
6. Computer users' privacy
concerns translate into privacy-sensitive behaviors. Of those
who use the World Wide Web and have been asked by a site to
provide information,the majority have at some point declined to
give that information. The majority of those who did not provide
the information say they would have provided it if they were
aware of, comfortable with, the information use policies of those
sites or if they were more familiar with those sites.
- Of the 58% of Web site visitors
who have been asked to provide information when visiting
a site, 79% have declined at some point to provide that
information, and a small percentage (8%) say they have
provided false information.
- More than half of Web site
visitors (61%) have at some point, however, provided the
information requested.
- 71 % of those who have declined to
provide the information or had provided false information
say they would have supplied what was requested if they
had had a relationship with, or had done business with,
the company operating the site in the offline world.
- 63% also say they would have
supplied what was requested if the site informed them
clearly before they supplied the information how the
information would be used.
7. Privacy-sensitive online
behaviors are practiced among a small proportion of Internet
users.
- 12% of Internet users say they
have encrypted or coded information sent through the
Internet, representing about 5.5 million adults in the
United States.
- In addition, 20% of Internet users
who say they have participated in chat groups and forums
also say they have discussed privacy issues there. This
represents 6% of all Internet users and 2.7 million
adults in the U.S.
8. Less than one-third of
Web site visitors have heard the term "cookies."2 Nearly all Web site visitors feel
strongly that Web sites should give users advance notice and gain
the users' permission before using a cookie tagging process.
- 28% of visitors to Web sites say
they have heard the term "cookies" used in
reference to Web sites.
- 87% of Internet users who visit
the World Wide Web say it is important that Web sites
using cookies gain a user's permission before using the
cookie tagging process (gaining this permission is
"very" important to 66% of Web site visitors
and "somewhat" important to another 21%).
- 85% believe it is important that
the site tell users in advance how this tagging system
will be used and what benefits it could offer (54% think
this is "very" important and another 31% think
it is "somewhat" important).
2)Cookies" is a technology that
allows Web sites to place a unique identifier on a user's hard
drive so that information about that user's previous visits to
and activities at the site can be recalled at subsequent visits.
Marketing to Computer Users Online and
Off
9.Very few computer users who
receive unsolicited e-mail messages offering to sell them
products and services welcome them, and more than one-third of e-mail
users would want their addresses removed from all offers if
possible. Acceptance of direct mail offers in the Online world is
much higher.
- 43% of Internet users who send and
receive e-mail say they sometimes receive unsolicited
e-mail messages offering to sell them products and
services. Of online service users, 49% say they have
received this type of unsolicited e-mail (excluding
messages from their online services).
- Of those who did receive these
unsolicited messages, 42% say "it's getting to be a
real pain and [they] want to stop getting these
messages;" another 55% say, "it's a little
bothersome, but [they] just delete the ones that don't
interest [them];" and very few (3%) say, "[they
] like to receive these messages because some of [the
messages] interest [them]."
- Although more than half of
computer users (57%) say they are aware of procedures to
remove their names from direct postal mail lists, only
one-fourth (25%) of recipients of unsolicited
e-mail messages are aware of how to remove their
e-mail addresses in the online world.
- If given the opportunity, more
than one-third (37%) of e-mail users say they
would want their e-mail addresses removed from all
unsolicited e-mail offers. (Only 17% of computer users
would want their names removed from all direct mail
lists).
10.Computer users express more
interest in Internet software products that will help them become
more familiar with the companies they deal with online and with
their information use policies, than they are about other
Internet software products.3
- Only 2% of Internet users who
visit Web sites would be "very" interested in a
customized Internet service that would provide tailored
offers of products and services. Another 24% would be at
least "somewhat" interested.
- Corroborating the importance of
privacy to online users more Internet users overall
would be interested in the tailored offers service if
information policies were explained than would be
interested a premium were offered for joining (46% v.
39%).
- Only 6% of Internet users who
visit Web sites are interested in software products that
would allow them to deposit funds for Internet purchases
(another 26% are "somewhat" interested).
- Two-thirds (65%) of Web users
say they would be interested in a free and easy to
use product that would allow them to record their
preferences about how they want their personal
information used by business Web sites, in order to have
these preferences checked against the actual policies of
sites they visit (17% would be "very"
interested, and 48% would be "somewhat"
interested).
- 45% of Internet users say that
independent evaluations of Internet companies would
increase their willingness to purchase products and
services on the Internet.
3)All questions about Internet products
and services were prefaced with the statement, "I am going
to ask you questions about some Internet products and services. I
am not selling or promoting these products and services. I only
want to know your opinions of them."
Group Differences: Light v.Heavy
Internet Users
11.Heavy Internet users (those
who use the Internet for five hours or more each week) tend to
think differently, and experience their online environment
differently as compared to lighter users (those who use the
Internet for fewer than five hours each week). Their interests in
Internet software products also differ from those of lighter
users.
- The ability to use the Internet
without revealing one's own name is more important to
heavy Internet users (62% of those who use the Internet
for five or more hours each week identify this as
important compared to 52% for lighter users). Heavy users
are more likely to have encrypted or coded information
they have sent via the Internet (20% v. less than 10% for
lighter users). This group of heavy users is also more
than twice as likely to have heard the term
"cookies" than the lighter users (44% v. 22%
for those who use the Internet 2-4 hours per week and 17%
for those who use the Internet less).
- Heavier Internet users are more
likely than lighter users to receive unsolicited
e-mail messages offering products and services (53%
v. 45% for those who use the Internet 2-4 hours and
30% for those who use the Internet less), are more aware
of how to remove their email names from these unsolicited
offers (30% v. 24% and 18%), but are less likely to want
to have their e-mail addresses blocked from all
offers (32% v. 35% and 47%).
- Interest in Internet services is
also higher among heavier users. They are more interested
in participating in services that will send them tailored
product and service offers. 32% say they are
"very" or "somewhat" interested,
whereas only 28% of those who use the Internet for 24
hours per week and only 18% of those who use the Internet
even less say the same. This higher level of interest
extends into services allowing users to deposit funds for
online purchases. Nearly half (45%) of heavy users
indicate that they are "very" or
"somewhat" interested in this type of service,
compared to 21% of those who use the Internet for 24
hours each week, and 25% of those who use the Internet
fewer than 2 hours each week.
Group Differences: Males v. Females
12.Compared to males, female
computer users are less likely to have heard, read,or seen a
great deal about the Internet, and are less likely to access the
Internet. Of those who are Internet users, females spend less
time on the Internet. Females also express greater concern about
many online-privacy related issues.
- Anonymity on the Internet is more
important to females than to males, with 61% of females
identifying this as "very" or
"somewhat" important and only 50% of males
doing the same.
- Women are more likely than men to
view the placement of local and state government records
on the Internet as a problem, although those records are
part of the public domain (79% v. 72%).
- However, of World Wide Web users,
males are much more likely than females to say they visit
adult sites (20% v. 8%). The Role of Government
13. When presented with three
alternative government approaches to protect privacy on the
Internet at this time, the majority of computer users want the
government to pass laws now.
- 58% of computer users feel that
government should Pass laws now on how personal
information can be collected and used on the Internet;
- 24% say the government should
recommend privacy standards for the Internet but not pass
laws at this time; and
- Only 15% feel that the government
should let groups develop voluntary privacy standards for
the Internet an monitor any problems, but not pass laws
at this time.
- Compared to lighter Internet
users, heavier users are less in favor of government
regulation of how information can be collected and used
on the Internet (46% v. 53%).
- Females are more likely than males
to favor having the government pass laws for the
regulation of information collection and use on the
Internet (67% v. 49%).
14.The computer users most in
favor of government regulation are those least familiar with the
Internet. Internet users especially those who spend a lot of time
on the Internet are relatively less in favor of such regulation
when compared to computer users who don't use the Internet.
- Basic computer users (defined as
those who do not use the Internet or an online service)
are those most likely to favor government regulation
(65%), compared to people who use an online service (56%)
and people who use the Internet (47%).
- Support for government regulation
diminishes as time spent on the Internet increases. Just
over half (53%) of Internet users who spend less than two
hours on the Internet each week favor government
regulation, compared to 46% of those who spend two hours
or more. Online and Offline Users' Technology and
Business Attitudes
15.Computer users who are not
online are nearly twice as likely as online computer users to
feel that technology is out of control.
- More than one-half (55%) of
basic computer users agree that technology has almost
gotten out of control, with one-quarter (25%)
agreeing "strongly." Only 12% of Internet users
and 14% of online service users also agree
"strongly" with this statement.
- Basic computer users are more
likely than online computer users to think that business
organizations ask for too much personal information from
consumers (41% agree "strongly" v. 34% among
online computer users).
- 43% of basic computer users agree
that consumers have lost control over how businesses use
and circulate their personal information. Only 37% of
Internet users and 36% of online service users also
agree.
16. Lower cost, control over
businesses sending marketing messages, and ease of use are other
factors that computer users say will increase the likelihood that
they will begin to use the Internet or an online service.
- Of those who say it is unlikely
that they will start to use the Internet in the next
year, 44% say it would be more likely if the cost were
reduced, 38% say this if they have control over marketing
messages, and 37% say the likelihood would increase if
the use were less complicated. The figures for those who
say they are unlikely to start using an online service
are 42%, 36%, and 33% respectively.
17. The majority of computer
users think it is unacceptable for companies to ask children on
the Internet to provide personal information.
- 59% of all computer users say it
is not acceptable for companies to ask children to
provide their e-mail names to gather statistics on
how many children visit the site and what they do there.
Nearly four in ten (39%) find this practice "not at
all" acceptable (another 20% say this is "not
very" acceptable).
- Almost as many, 58%, say it is not
acceptable to ask children to provide their e-mail
names and their interests and activities in order to
gather information for product improvement. 38%, say this
practice is "not at all" acceptable and another
20% say this is "not very"acceptable.
- Nearly three-quarters (73%)
say it is not acceptable to ask children to provide their
real names and addresses when they purchase products or
register to use a site, and use this information only
within that company. More than half (54%) of computer
users say this is "not at all" acceptable
(another 19% say this is "not very"
acceptable).
- Nine in ten (90%) computer users
say it is "not at all" or "not very"
acceptable for Internet companies to ask children to
provide their real names and addresses when they purchase
products or register to use a site, and rent or sell
those names and addresses to other companies offering
products of potential interest to those children.
Three-quarters of computer users (74%) find this
practice "not at all" acceptable and another
16% say this is "not very" acceptable. Privacy,
Children, and the Internet
18. Computer users are divided,
however, on whether there is or is not a significant difference
between advertisers who collect personal information from
children for marketing purposes through sources like comic books,
magazines, and kids clubs, and collecting similar information
from children using the Internet.
- 46% say there is a significant
difference between collecting marketing information from
children offline and online, and 45% say there is not.
Another 9% are not certain.
19. The majority of computer
users are not particularly trusting of Internet companies that
market to or collect information from children. Additionally,
nearly all feel that if these companies violate their stated
policies, they should be held legally liable.
- Only 2% of computer users are
"very" confident and just 22% are
"somewhat" confident that Internet companies
would follow their stated policies for the use of
information they collect from children on the Internet.
- More than nine in ten computer
users (94%) say that if companies collecting information
from children violate their stated polices, they should
be held legally liable.
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