Getting to Understand Privacy from a Consumers Perspective

Is there a reasonable way to adjusting your privacy settings in your smart phone?  Sort of similar to the automatically unreasonable censorship standards on social media lately?   Suppose Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) wouldn’t have been subject to giving a scenario for America’s Tech Giants to explain during the “Examining Safeguards for Consumer Data Privacy,” hearing.  The scenario was a regular guy, a farmer, using the internet to browse then an advertisement for tires pops up.  Oftentimes that search is done through Google. “How do they get that information?” asked Senator Tester.  To which Google replied “we understand the complexities of the ecosystem.”

What do consumers really understand about their privacy to even consider operating a function in their smartphone privacy settings?  I recently conducted a survey to learn “How Much Consumers Understand About Privacy.”   Prior to the survey results, America’s Tech Giants gave a reasonable meaning, along with qualified responses of privacy.  Their testimonies were before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation during the “Examining Safeguards for Consumer Data Privacy” hearing.

According to Apple’s submitted testimony to the Senate, privacy means a fundamental human right, much more than having the right to not share your personal information.  Users can decide whether to share personal information and with whom.  Privacy is about living in a world where you can trust that your decisions about how your personal information is shared, used, and  respected.  During the same time, Twitter submitted their testimony which read they must be a trusted, and healthy place in order for freely exchange of ideas and information to continue.  Their testimony also read that privacy is part of Twitter’s DNA.  Luckily,  Senator Warren didn’t have to contribute her recent DNA results to their testimony.

Twitter suggest they offer a range of ways for people to control their experience on the platform.  That deliberate design has allowed people using Twitter to protect their privacy.

Now let’s learn the results of the survey conducted October 6, 2018 near the Washington Monument.  The survey is comprised of the following questions : What do you consider as your privacy? Do you know how to adjust your privacy settings to opt-out of third-party Ads? Would you give a third-party your privacy information?  The final question on the survey, what does privacy mean to you?

• “It’s like an atomic bomb Bob Marley says doesn’t stop time.”
• “Safety and security,”
• “means alot,”
• it’s like a bubble, pop it when doing something I don’t like.”
• “important”
• “securing is important”
• “having a personal life, and not public”
• “safeguarding personal and private transactions”