In 2021, 91% of Americans used social media. That means that if you’re reading this, you’ve likely created a social media account at some point. If we’re being honest, when you were opening that account, you probably clicked “I agree” to a privacy policy before reading a single word. Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Privacy policies explain to users how a platform collects, stores, and uses personal data (ex. name, birthday, search history) as well as what rights users may exercise over their data. While privacy policies are mandated by U.S. law, their contents are not. The lack of regulation has led to privacy policies becoming long and difficult to understand. It’s no surprise that users tend to scroll through privacy policies without reading them. However, this goes against the very reason for showing the policy—prior awareness of how one’s online data is being used.
With this in mind, understanding the true extent of consumers’ awareness of social media data privacy policies is extremely relevant and important. My study aimed to answer the question: to what extent are consumers aware of social media privacy policies? Drawing upon prior studies on online consumer awareness, I surveyed Indiana University students about their awareness of privacy policies they’d previously agreed to.
Respondents were first asked about what social media accounts they had out of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and X (Twitter). Respondents were only shown question blocks related to platforms for which they have accounts. For example, if a respondent reported only having a Facebook and Instagram account, they would only be given questions about those two platforms. The survey also looked at respondent’s social media usage for each platform and awareness of the privacy policies they agreed to when creating their accounts. By measuring the accuracy at which respondents could answer quiz-like questions about policies they’d agreed to, I measured awareness.
The results revealed a staggering lack of engagement with privacy policies. 80% of respondents said they scroll through without reading the privacy policy for every platform. Not a single respondent reported reading all of one policy.
Awareness was based on the percentage of correct answers out of all questions answered. I found the accuracy of individual platform blocks as well as the survey as a whole. As seen in the graph below, there was a noticeable variation in awareness amongst platforms, with TikTok having the highest accuracy level of 40.3% and Snapchat having the lowest at 10.4%. One reason for this variation may be the publicity TikTok has had in the past two years. Studies have shown changes in online behavior and awareness after public data breaches. In 2022 and 2023, TikTok received a hailstorm of public scrutiny toward its data privacy practices. Overall awareness was measured to be 27.9% —an exceptionally low metric. This means that, on average, respondents answered just more than a quarter of questions correctly.
An interesting trend in responses was that many incorrect responses tended towards the more extreme answer choice. For example, given a choice of how long a platform retains its data, users most often chose “indefinitely” compared to “retained for up to 3 months”—the correct answer. This indicates a potential lack of trust or skepticism in social media platforms.
The results of this study not only indicate a concerning lack of awareness about social media privacy policies but also the need for specific action by legislators and educators. The absence of U.S. laws regulating the content of privacy policies presents an opportunity for policymakers to mend the awareness gap. Data privacy legislation overseas, such as the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union, offers valuable examples of successful regulatory efforts to better protect consumers. Legislation could focus on platform transparency and the creation of user-friendly privacy policies. Furthermore, the low level of awareness underscores the need for educational initiatives aimed at improving users’ understanding. Educational programs could target general digital literacy, how to safely navigate online spaces, and specific knowledge on understanding privacy policies.
You can act too. Next time you’re signing in and an updated policy agreement comes up, take a second. Skim the policy. Even if you end up clicking “I agree,” that quick read will make you a more informed consumer who isn’t in the dark about where your data is going.
Maria Laroia-Nguyen is a senior at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. She studies Law and Public Policy with minors in French and Communications in Public Advocacy. In the fall, Maria will be heading west to study at the University of California Berkeley School of Law.
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