Who is watching? A man seen through computer monitors on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Americans share more personal information online than ever — however, they also want more control over who sees it, according to a study released by Pew Research Center on Thursday.
Whereas only 33% worried about the information available about them on the web in 2009, that concern now applies to half of the people surveyed. Furthermore, 86% have tried to conceal their online activity by measures such as clearing cookies or using encryption.
Reasons for doing so, however, vary. About one-third said they intended to avoid hackers and criminals, somewhat fewer wanted to block advertisers. Others mentioned wanting to keep information private from family members, employers or the government.
[AP]