46M Brits just give away their personal data

Roughly two-thirds of the UK's population give their personal data away by failing to check permissions before installing new apps on their devices.

Only less than one in five Brits check what permissions and type of data an app can access when they download it, according to a new survey from Murena, a privacy-focused smartphone company.

Most of the rest, or about 46 million individuals, are “unwittingly” giving away their personal data, according to the survey. Such data range from their precise location, where they live, camera access, health information, and even sexual preferences.

Ignoring privacy settings on apps and online services increases the risk of identity theft and users’ personal information being sold for profit by data brokers, warned Gaël Duval, chief executive of Murana and privacy campaigner.

He said it was “impossible” to tell the full extent of how such data could be used.

“[C]urrently we know for a fact that personal data is a rich currency, which data brokers and advertisers grossly benefit from, to the detriment of users who often end up spending more time and money online than they intend,” Duval said.

Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) throw data privacy issues into even greater uncertainty.

According to Duval, “once a piece of personal data exists, it can be used and passed on indefinitely – nobody knows how your online behaviors now could be used against you in the future,” adding that “things that are acceptable now may not be in the future.”

Anyone who hasn't taken steps to protect their privacy is giving away “overwhelming” amounts of personal information every day, he said.

The study showed that only about 15 million people in the UK – out of a population of just over 68 million in 2023 – are concerned about how their data could be used in the future.

This lack of awareness is a result of big tech providers’ opacity and “convoluted” terms and conditions, according to Duval. A move towards open source and open standards technologies could ensure transparency and help users make a more informed choice.

“Currently, the majority of big tech providers are not open source and therefore users have to take a corporation’s word for their claims,” Duval said, adding that “we see time and again where this trust is betrayed and user data rights breached.”