A large majority of Americans say it's extremely important to be in control of who can collect and access information about them, but very few believe the government and private companies are able to protect their information private.
In a new Pew Research Center report, 93 percent of adults say that being in control of who can get information about them is important, with 74 percent saying it's "very important." Ninety percent believe that controlling what information is collected about them is important, while 65 percent think it's "very important."
However, only 6 percent of Americans told Pew they are "very confident" that government agencies can keep their records private and secure. Twenty-five percent said they are "somewhat confident."
Americans are just as pessimistic when it comes to the ability of landline telephone companies to protect their data, with 6 percent saying they are "very confident" and 25 percent saying they are "somewhat confident."
Credit card companies fared slightly better, with 9 percent of respondents saying they are "very confident" and 29 percent saying they are "somewhat confident" their data will remain private and secure.
Less than 15 percent said they are "very confident" or "somewhat confident" that online search engines, video sites, social media sites, and advertisers can keep their data private and secure.
Sixty-five percent told Pew there are not adequate limits on "what telephone and Internet data the government can collect" as part of anti-terrorism efforts.
Even with the lack of trust in government and private companies, 91 percent said they had not made any changes to their Internet or mobile devices to avoid having their activities tracked or noticed.
"In the almost two years that have passed since the initial Snowden revelations, the public has been awash in news stories detailing security breaches at major retailers, health insurance companies and financial institutions," Mary Madden, a senior researcher at Pew, said in a statement to Politico. "These events and the doubts they have inspired have contributed to a cloud of personal 'data insecurity' that now looms over many Americans' daily decisions and activities."
She added, "Many find these developments deeply troubling and want limits put in place."
The first survey took place during the summer of 2014 and questioned 498 adults members of the GfK Knowledge Panel. A second survey among 461 adults was conducted between Jan. 27 and Feb. 16 of this year.
The results come as key sections of the Patriot Act are set to expire June 1. The National Security Agency uses those sections to justify its mass collection of Americans' phone data, and Congress is divided on how to move forward, even though a federal appeals court ruled this month that the NSA's bulk collection is illegal.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other GOP senators want to extend the Patriot Act provisions as they currently stand, while another set of lawmakers are pushing to pass the USA Freedom Act, which would reportedly limit the NSA's spying ability. Another group of lawmakers and privacy advocates refuse to support either measure, saying neither adequately protects the privacy of Americans.
