63 Per Cent Not Comfortable Sharing Personal Data with Apps

Only 37 per cent of consumers are comfortable sharing personal data with an app, according to a MEF report.

The Global Privacy Report, which surveyed 9,500 people across 10 countries, found that growth markets – including Brazil, Mexico and South Africa – are the least comfortable sharing personal information.

33 per cent of respondents said they weren't comfortable sharing personal information with apps, and 35 weren't comfortable with sharing location information. 52 per cent weren't comfortable storing their billing information within an app.

However, this isn't down to security concerns, as only 18 per cent of respondents said they weren't confident that their personal information is being protected.

“Two main themes emerge from the research: consumers demand transparency when apps are sharing their data, and importantly the app community needs to do a better job of explaining to consumers why it’s in their interests to do so,” said MEF global chair Andrew Bud. “This lack of active transparency and education risks holding back the global mobile content and commerce market. We are committed to working with our members to help the industry address this challenge.”