Cell Phone Owners Avoid Apps That Collect Personal Data

Even though about half of all cell phone users download apps, a majority of users have decided not to install a particular app once they discovered how much personal information they would need to share in order to use the app, a new study found.

The study revealed that 54 percent of cell phone app owners decided not to install an app when they learned how much personal information the app collects.  In addition, 30 percent of the owners uninstalled an app that already was on their phone because it was collecting personal information that they did not wish to share.

When it comes to location tracking features on cell phones, 19 percent of cell phone owners have turned off the feature.  Moreover, 32 percent clear the browsing history or search history.  “Concerns about location tracking are highest among cell owners in their mid-20s to mid-30s, as some 32% of cell owners between the ages of 25 and 34 have turned off location tracking over concerns about their personal information (by contract, just 4% of cell owners ages 65 and older have done so),” the report noted.

Concerns about privacy also varies by gender and parental status.  “Specifically, male cell owners are more likely than women to clear the search and browsing history on their phones (37% of men do this, compared with 28% of women), and parents are more likely than non-parents to clear their search or browsing history (39% vs. 29%) as well as to turn off the location tracking feature on their phones (25% vs. 16%),” the researchers said.

The study entitled “Privacy and Data Management on Mobile Devices” was conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, a project of the Pew Research Center, and was released on September 5, 2012.