Nearly half of Britons mistrust Big Techs to keep their data safe

By Gaia Lamperti

Nearly half of Britons (45%) don’t trust Big Tech companies to safeguard their personal data, research from NexGen Cloud has revealed. The Cloud solutions provider commissioned the independent study, which surveyed  2,000 Britons, to reveal consumers’ revealed growing mistrust in tech giants and grave concerns about the excessive power they hold over their personal lives.

The survey found that only 24% of individuals believe Big Tech firms have their best interests at heart. This comes amid reports that tech titans are facing increasing scrutiny in the public eye, with a growing number of regulators starting to crack down on Big Tech’s dominant grip over society. The research uncovered serious misgivings about data privacy among consumers, with the majority of respondents (66%) concerned about how tech giants are able to collect and use their personal information.

Respondents also shared their concerns about the excessive power and influence that Big Tech companies have accumulated. Indeed, nearly half (51%) believe tech giants hold too much control over their personal lives, while the majority (75%) agree that large tech firms have gained excessive power over the technology market.

Worryingly, the research highlighted the negative impact that Big Tech’s market dominance is having over consumers, with 60% of Britons admitting that they feel like there is little choice but to use technologies provided by tech giants. Despite the monopoly that large tech firms have over the market, 36% of respondents said they made a conscious effort to spend their money with smaller competitors when buying or using technology.

The study also highlighted a strong consensus among respondents that more needs to be done to rein in Big Tech, with 72% believing there is a need for tech giants to be regulated more tightly. With Big Techs like Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook venturing or establishing themselves in the financial services sector as well, these findings become as relevant as ever.

“Our research results are stark and consistent – it shows that a growing number of consumers mistrust tech giants with their personal data and feel threatened by the insidious control they exert over their personal lives. Regulating Big Tech companies must therefore take on a new and almost existential urgency to address this imbalance of power globally,” Chris Starkey, Founder and Director of NexGen Cloud, commented.

“Big Tech’s unnatural monopoly of the market and increasing civic power poses a looming threat to the core aspects of democracy, and our study highlights consumers’ vulnerability and resignation to the excessive power held by large tech corporations. Now, there is a critical need for the industry to restore consumers’ foundations of trust in technology, and this must begin by building a fairer and decentralised digital landscape”.

Key findings of the study:

• 45% of Britons don’t trust large technology companies to protect their personal data
• Only 24% of individuals believe tech giants have their best interests at heart
• Half of the respondents (51%) believe tech giants hold too much control over their daily lives
• 75% believe tech giants have a stronghold over the tech market
• 72% believe tech giants need to be regulated more tightly