Thirty-six percent of consumers are concerned their health information will get into the wrong hands, according to a new survey from cybersecurity vendor AnchorFree. Consumers’ top security concern is that their personal information will be stolen and sold, 62 percent of the survey respondents said.
The ongoing survey, conducted beginning November 9, 2016, queries users of the Hotspot Shield app marketed by AnchorFree. The preliminary results are based on 500 completed responses.
Eighty-five percent of respondents said they are more concerned about their online privacy and security today compared with one year ago; 15 percent are not.
Of those who are more concerned today, 49 percent said it’s because of potential surveillance policies in the new U.S. presidential administration, 48 percent because of the increased number of connected technology devices that contain personal information, 47 percent because of technology’s inability to protect personal online data and privacy, 44 percent because they do not trust the U.S. government to protect personal online privacy and security, and 38 percent because of recent Russian cybersecurity threats and hacks in the U.S.
Some 63 percent of the AnchorFree survey respondents, meanwhile, said they are more concerned about keeping their personal information private today because of the Trump administration; 37 percent said they are not more concerned for this reason.
The top privacy concerns today among the 500 survey respondents include: having personal information used against them, companies collecting and sharing the data, surveillance or exposure of location, preferences and actions as well as information being discovered about family members and shared.
Twitter: @SiwickiHealthIT
Email the writer: bill.siwicki@himssmedia.com
