U.S. Adults Too Busy Googling Each Other to Worry Much About Privacy
18 Dec 2007 - 11:02:14

By Thomas Claburn Mon Dec 17, 3:50 PM ET While the media and lawmakers question future prospects for privacy if Google's planned acquisition of DoubleClick is allowed to proceed, the majority of U.S. adults appear to be unconcerned about the proliferation of personal information online. That may be because people like being able to find out about one another. Some 53% of adult Internet users have searched for information about friends, family, romantic interests, or business colleagues, according to a by the non-profit Pew Internet & American Life Project. And 47% of adult Internet users have used search engines to look up information about themselves. This perhaps explains why the Pew survey also found that 60% of Internet users say they are not worried about how much information about them is available online. That's not to say privacy concerns don't exist. The Pew survey also found that 38% of online adults have taken steps to limit the amount of online information about themselves. But not all those who actively pursue privacy do so out of fear. The survey further divides those who have tried to control the online information about themselves into those who don't worry that their personal information is online but nonetheless take steps to limit that data (17%) and those who limit online information about themselves out of anxiety (21%). The Pew study suggests that people are becoming used to the availability and persistence of online information about th...

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