January 24th, 2025 // Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up to receive your own copy here.
People Want Control of Their Data
Parents in the U.S., young adults in Brazil, and retirees in South Africa share something in common—they want greater control over their online data.
According to research from Project Liberty Institute released last month, there’s broad global sentiment that online companies and platforms have too much personal information about everyday people, and those people don’t have the control they desire to manage their personal digital privacy.
These findings come from a survey of seven countries that spans developed economies (U.S., U.K., and France), developing economies (Brazil, South Africa, and India), and even China, which, despite having a primarily firewalled digital ecosystem, exhibits many of the same public anxieties about data security and internet safety as found in the West.
The survey findings represent more than cross-cultural agreement on the value of personal data; they underscore popular demand for a better internet and an alternative to today’s digital status quo that prioritizes the profits of Big Tech over the rights and needs of everyday citizens.
In this week’s edition, we’ll look at the research, dive into the data, and explore if we’re at a tipping point to the next generation of the internet.
// The research by Project Liberty Institute
Project Liberty recently conducted two studies around data privacy:
A global, seven-country study: In late 2023, Project Liberty Institute partnered with polling firm J.L. Partners to conduct an international survey of over 14,000 adults aged 18-74 years across seven countries: Brazil, China (mainland), France, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
A U.S.-focused study: In November 2024, on behalf of the Project Liberty Institute, Ipsos conducted a poll of 1,024 U.S. residents, age 18 or older.
// The top four insights from the global research
Project Liberty Institute researchers Jeb Bell and Jessica Theodule identified four key insights from the seven-country study.
Majorities around the world are concerned about the amount of personal information online companies and platforms know about them. Worries were particularly pronounced in India (where 93% of respondents said they are concerned about the amount of personal information collected about them), South Africa (92%) and Brazil (89%), compared to the U.S. (43%), the U.K. (31%), France (32%), and China (24%).
Across both younger and older generations, few feel a sense of being in control over their data. A median of just one-in-four (24%) young adults describe themselves as exercising a “great deal of control” over their personal data. Among older generations, only 14% said they had “great deal of control” over their data.
People want a choice in how their data is collected and used. Nine-in-ten said it was important to be able to opt-out of having their data shared with marketers or third parties (94%) and to be able to force companies to delete personal data, if requested (91%).
What is considered sensitive data varies by location, but across the countries polled, majorities view the content of texts and emails (median of 60%), names of friends (57%), and geolocation (54%) as the most sensitive type of data.
“Often, research about what happens to our data online stops with the level of concern. This survey identifies concrete product features and choices that people around the globe agree would give them greater control of their digital lives.”
— Jeb Bell, Head of Research and Strategic Insights, Project Liberty Institute
The key takeaways from Project Liberty Institute’s U.S.-based research were similar to those from the global research.
Most Americans believe they have little control over their data and that AI will only make matters worse. Two-thirds (67%) of Americans believe they have little or no control over the personal data collected by social media platforms, and more than 4-in-5 Americans (85%) believe that AI will increase the risk that their personal information will be collected, shared, and used by companies without their knowledge.
Nine-in-ten Americans (90%) support the creation of a national privacy law that would set standards for what social media and other online companies can do with their personal information. For example, an overwhelming percentage of Americans support rules requiring social media companies to allow people to delete their personal information, opt out of being targeted with ads, and be more transparent with algorithms.
Most Americans believe platforms should allow them to take their data if they leave. Seven-in-ten Americans agree that social media companies should make it easier for individuals to keep their network of family, friends, and followers if they decide to switch to a different social media app.
Americans support rules that protect the internet’s youngest users. Nine-in-ten Americans (90%) would support government rules requiring social platforms and online businesses to set the default privacy settings for children to the highest levels possible.
"In a time of polarization, data control is a unifying issue. Americans agree on the need for meaningful protections and controls, regardless of their background or beliefs.”
— Jessica Theodule, Senior Research Manager, Project Liberty Institute
It might be tempting to consider our personal data as some abstract, out-of-sight collection of zeros and ones. But as Project Liberty founder Frank McCourt said at the Project Liberty Summit last November, “your data is you.”
This research from Project Liberty Institute suggests that people from around the world understand the importance of their data and recognize the vulnerability of not being able to control it.
But a bigger question remains: How can this worldwide public perception catalyze a new internet that values and protects an individual’s personal data? The U.S. study indicates that a national privacy law might be one way to translate perception into policy and practice. But there are others: from data trusts to data commons to protocols like Frequency.
For many, redistributing and decentralizing data is a unifying issue. That conviction could spark a renaissance in innovation and policy that could return the internet to the people.
The People's Bid in the news
// An article in Reuters reported that Project Liberty founder Frank McCourt said he is open to teaming up on a TikTok bid.
// An article in Fox Business highlighted how some GOP senators are adamant about the TikTok ban remaining in place.
Other notable headlines
// 🤳 The internet has become TikTok. An article in The Atlantic explored how every other major social platform—Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, X, even LinkedIn—has copied TikTok’s format in recent years. The app might ultimately get banned in the United States, but we’ll still be living in TikTok’s world.
// 🤔 There’s a better way to predict a technology’s future: follow the rate of change. To get better answers on the evolution of technology, an article in The Wall Street Journal argued that we need to start with better questions.
// 📱 In 2016, Cal Newport went viral for telling people to quit social media. In 2024, he ignored his own advice. His article in The New Yorker uncovered what happened when an "extremely offline" person tried TikTok.
// 🏫 A growing number of states are banning cellphones in schools—almost always with bipartisan support, according to an article in Axios.
The deadline for the Governable Space-Makers Fellowship has been extended by one month to February 20th. This fellowship offers a unique opportunity to explore new models of governance in creative spaces. Learn more and apply here.
// New toolkit to advocate for phone-free schools
The Phone-Free Schools Ambassador Toolkit is here to help parents, teachers, and community members take action! Developed by the Phone-Free Schools Movement and Fairplay, this free resource provides research, advocacy strategies, and ready-to-use materials to promote phone-free school policies.
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/ Project Liberty builds solutions that help people take back control of their lives in the digital age by reclaiming a voice, choice, and stake in a better internet.
