Consumers wary of social media privacy protection

(Jim Hood @ ConsumerAffairs) In an odd juxtaposition, 80% of Americans say they use social media daily while 96% say they don't trust social networks to protect their privacy. You might wonder why so many people use something they think isn't safe, but that's a question that's seldom asked.

A recent survey conducted for the Craig Newmark Foundation provides a clue, however: we want the government to protect us. 

The survey found that many Americans think privacy laws are too weak, with Millennials being the strongest advocates for tougher privacy protections.

Millennials and Baby Boomers are the groups most distrustful of social media, the survey found.

• Only 7% of Millennials have a lot of trust that social media sites will protect their privacy and personal information. Their trust of social media sites is down 9% from two years ago.
• Adults 65+ have the least trust;
• Of those who use social media the most – at least four social media sites – only 14% have a lot of trust in them;
• Most of the best-known social media sites are seeing increased usage since 2014, according to responses to survey questions about which sites people use.

A majority of Americans surveyed also expressed concern about the lack of safety online, including fears over identity theft, email hacking, and non-consensual online tracking.