A pair of studies shed light on people’s thoughts about online privacy and self-driving vehicles, plus, Right to Repair becomes a national issue.
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It turns out consumers kinda, sorta, sometimes, care about data privacy, according to a new study by IBM’s Institute for Business Value. The study, which is trending on LinkedIn, says that while more than 80 per cent of consumers say that in the past year they’ve become more concerned with how companies are using their data, and 87 per cent of them want tighter regulations around companies that house their data, less than half actually update their privacy settings. In addition, only 16 per cent stopped doing business with a company that mishandled personal data. A lot of people are also clueless about risks to their data – 3 out of 10 people polled say they’re unaware of any data breaches that have occurred. And interestingly enough, despite the risks around data privacy, 71 per cent of consumers think it’s worth sacrificing privacy give the benefits of technology.
Another study is trending on Linkedin, this one about the distrust among Americans when it comes to self-driving cars. Half of U.S. adults think automated vehicles are more dangerous than vehicles operated by people, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll. About 63 per cent of those who responded said they would not pay more to have a self-driving feature in their vehicle. A smaller percentage, 43 to be exact, say the most they would pay for such features is $2,000. Ride service operators, such as Lyft and Uber, and tech companies, are dumping significant capital into the development of self-driving vehicles. The study suggests progress is being made, but it also highlights the challenge these organizations face due to the public’s ongoing mistrust and unwillingness to pay for self-driving systems.
A Cell Phone Carrier Breaks With Big Telecom, Announces Support for Right to Repair Legislation / Cell phone providers have actively lobbied against right to repair legislation, but Ting Mobile announced that it supports consumers’ right to fix the things they own. from r/technology
And lastly, there’s a lot of talk on Reddit right now about the Right to Repair. On the heels of Massachusetts Senator and Deomcratic Presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren’s cry for right to repair legislation last week, thousands have taken to the internet to chime in. One cell phone provider has entered the conversation in a significant way by arguing for the legislation, breaking ranks with other phone providers – and there are many of them – that oppose the right to repair. Ting, a U.S. mobile virtual network provider and internet service provider, says more than 60 per cent of people in a recent survey of theirs claimed they would purchase DIY repair kits. 58 per cent said they’d prefer to purchase from a manufacturer that offered them. The Right to Repair legislation has been proposed in 20 states, according to reporting from Motherboard. And for anyone wondering what the heck the Right to Repair is, it’s simply the concept of government legislation that allows consumers to repair and modify their own consumer electronic devices. Today, most manufacturers force the consumer to turn to their services or risk voiding their product’s warranty.
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing. I’m Alex Coop, thanks for listening.