IAB Consumer Survey Shows Balance Between Support for Privacy Laws and Free and Open Internet
Support for privacy laws within the U.S. is growing, but legislation should balance tenets of the free and open internet with maintaining data privacy, according to the results of an Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) 2024 consumer survey released Monday. Conducted in the U.S. and other countries where national data privacy legislation exists, the survey sought views on the security of personal data and on the use of targeted advertising on the internet.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
The IAB report is based on virtual interviews and online written surveys for 1,500 U.S. consumers and 2,500 consumers in the U.K., Germany, Australia, Mexico and Brazil.
“The report shows that privacy and personalization can co-exist, and the findings aim to guide the development of thoughtful and balanced privacy laws,” said Jack Koch, senior vice president of research & insights at IAB, in an email.
The report showed around 70% of Americans have at least some familiarity with current data privacy laws, such as those in California and Colorado. However, older and lower-income respondents were significantly less likely to be familiar with them. This divide persists when it comes to digital privacy literacy, IAB found: “While most consumers understand the surface-level privacy concepts they encounter regularly -- account settings and accepting cookies -- far fewer are aware of their deeper privacy rights -- accessing or deleting their data,” the report said.
The study revealed that “over 70% of consumers familiar with the laws see them as effective in enhancing data privacy, safety, control, and protection while boosting confidence in exercising digital rights.” IAB also found that consumers believe privacy laws help hold businesses accountable and can be a tool for demonstrating trust and transparency. Almost 75% of non-U.S. respondents believe the laws improve data protection by keeping data more secure, holding businesses accountable and reducing misuse.
IAB said “80% of U.S. consumers prefer free internet access supported by ads and over 70% are willing to share data to enable it, viewing targeted advertising as a worthwhile trade-off.” Also, almost half of the U.S. consumers studied think that privacy laws should support the principle of a free and open internet, with younger and higher-income consumers more likely to be concerned that privacy laws are a challenge to that principle.
The data privacy policy of companies influences where and how consumers in the U.S. use services and shop, the survey found, and “if assured that their data was protected and secure, consumers would be willing to share it with trusted businesses." More than 75% of non-U.S. respondents feel this way, said the report.
“The findings suggest that as the U.S. considers adopting a national privacy law, consideration should be given to balancing a robust set of privacy rights with a nondisruptive online experience to both consumers and businesses, while maintaining internet affordability,” Koch said.