Incogni Survey Finds 45% of Americans Not Concerned About Online Privacy

The report placed the survey against several privacy controversies. 9to5Mac cited Ring's now scrapped interconnected doorbell feature called Search Party, what it called an unprecedented backlash around Flock cameras, and data brokers quietly selling identities. Those episodes, the report said, have made individual privacy center stage for Americans.

9to5Mac named privacy its inaugural Security Bite "Theme of the Year." The report said the survey result does not fit easily with that public attention. Incogni, which provides data removal services, conducted the survey. According to the report, 45% of the 1,517 U.S. adults polled said they are not concerned about their online privacy.

The report described the result as Americans contradicting themselves around privacy. Public attention has focused on specific products and practices, but 45% of surveyed adults said they were not worried about their own online privacy. The report placed the finding in the context of a privacy problem that it said should not come as any surprise.

The report also said individual privacy is center stage for Americans right now. It pointed to the Ring feature, Flock cameras and data brokers as examples of why the issue has remained in public view. The Incogni survey, however, showed that a large share of respondents did not report concern about their own online privacy.