Americans resigned to giving up their privacy, says study

Found on CNet News on Sunday, 07 June 2015
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The study explains: "Resignation occurs when a person believes an undesirable outcome is inevitable and feels powerless to stop it. Rather than feeling able to make choices, Americans believe it is futile to manage what companies can learn about them."

It says: "By misrepresenting the American people and championing the tradeoff argument, marketers give policymakers false justifications for allowing the collection and use of all kinds of consumer data often in ways that the public find objectionable."

The majority of people truly believe that the likes of Orbitz and Expedia are legally required to display the lowest prices available. 65 percent even believe that the mere existence of a so-called privacy policy means that their data won't be shared without their permission.

Or they could just stand up. That's one of the key arguments you hear when you argue with gun owners: "I want to be able to defend myself". In this case however, they just roll over and give up instead of bugging their senators to increase the protection of personal data and limit its collection.