Europeans wary of sharing data with brands on social networks

Cautious Europeans are increasingly concerned with the way organisations use their personal data, suggests new research.

A study by Loudhouse for Orange discovered that consumer trust was falling in every sector monitored within a 12 month period, with social media experiencing the biggest dip.

A total of 46% of mobile phone users in France, Poland, Spain and the UK said they trusted social networks less.

Another study which looked into internet users in the UK similarly found that the increased consumer skepticism was “businesses sharing my personal information with other companies,”  which was cited by 60% of respondents.

Other concerns were related to companies tracking online behaviour and location, as well as the privacy policies of social sites and search engines.

Organisations need to look at ways of gaining the trust of consumers to encourage an exchange of information healthy to both the market and the consumer.