Privacy Concerns are not Going Away

A recent research report by a group of researchers at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Pennsylvania points to an amazing similarity in attitudes between younger generations and those older folk. The survey drew responses from several age groups, ranging in age from under 19 to over 65. Many of the responses showed similar levels of concern about sharing private information on the internet, with refusals to show certain kinds of information almost exactly the same across the different age groups. This flies in the face of common assumptions about the attitudes of young people towards internet privacy and points to the prospect of a continuing concern in the populace about privacy as that generation ages. In fact, the survey shows that the younger generation has more faith in the government to protect them. As they grow older and realize that the government offers little protection, perhaps there will also be widespread calls for more government action in this area. Here's a summary of the report.