Consumers eager to embrace new privacy powers

Friday, February 23, 2018 - 10:08 by Simon Crisp

A new survey from the 7stars has revealed that many people in the UK are looking forward to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) coming into effect in three months, with 34 per cent saying they will choose to have personal information deleted when it arrives.

The GDPR is designed to empower consumers while making it easier to remain anonymous and carry out safe shopping online without private data falling into the wrong hands.

Fifty eight per cent said that they were unclear about the volumes of personal info that are harvested and stored by the businesses they use on a regular basis, with just a fifth claiming that they trust companies to protect it adequately against cyber threats.

Three quarters said that the government needs to do more to explain the ins and outs of the GDPR so that consumers are aware of their rights. Respondents over the age of 65 were even more likely to want clarity on this issue, according to Internet Retailing.

The majority of people are convinced that these new powers will be a step in the right direction, while almost a third said that they would be happier to hand over private data to businesses and sites that offer safe shopping online as a result.

Report spokesperson, Frances Revel, said that there is not much time for organisations to prepare for the arrival of the GDPR on the 25th of May. And with plenty of Brits seeing it as beneficial, even if they do not necessarily understand all of its quirks, ignoring it altogether is not an option.

Security experts believe that there are still some more changes which need to be made in order to keep consumers safe, but governments and regulators across Europe and the rest of the world will need to work together towards this goal.