consumer
Warning against careless disclosure of personal data on the Internet
According to the survey, only 13 percent of companies generally refuse to use their data. photo
© Uli Deck/dpa
Whether consciously or unconsciously – when surfing the Internet, we often reveal a great deal of personal information about ourselves. Not everyone is comfortable.
With just a few clicks, just enter your e-mail address, date of birth and name, then you can often start shopping, chatting or flirting online. For the use of digital services on the Internet, the provision of personal data is often standard today. Consumer advocates and the federal government urge caution. To what extent is the naming of one’s own data based on a voluntary basis?
As a survey conducted by the ConPolicy Institute on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection shows, many consumers consider it almost essential to provide their data. According to 54 percent of those surveyed, many companies design such services in such a way that users give extensive consent to the use of their personal data. In the survey that has now been presented, 41 percent stated that they give permission for the use of personal data if they cannot otherwise use the offer.
“Data economy” recommended
The consumer advice centers recommend “data economy”. “Once information has been disseminated on the Internet, it can hardly be deleted or retrieved,” the consumer advocates advise. By providing the date of birth, it is easy to steal the identity, and specifying the job could unintentionally provide information on income and purchasing power. Before each publication, it should therefore be considered whether the information would also be shouted out loud over a bus.
According to Consumer Protection Minister Steffi Lemke, most people saw the Internet when it was first created as an area of transparency and fair competition, with flat hierarchies and no disadvantages. “Some of these expectations have not been fulfilled, I believe,” said the Green politician at the presentation of the survey results in Berlin.
According to the survey, the majority of respondents (57 percent) agree that large digital companies are too powerful and abuse their market power at the expense of consumers. Another 26 percent partially agreed and only 10 percent disagreed with the statement on market power. Another 7 percent did not provide any information.
General Data Protection Regulation protects users
Lemke said it’s good that digitization encourages new business models and innovation. At the same time, she emphasized that digital spaces must be designed “fairly, justly and in solidarity”. According to the minister, societal and social concerns should be promoted more strongly in digitalization.
EU citizens are already entitled to extensive rights under the General Data Protection Regulation. Since it came into force in 2018, the processing of personal data by companies, associations or authorities has been regulated more strictly than before. Companies and organizations must make stored data available upon request. In addition, data processing can be objected to at any time and free of charge or a blocking of the data can be requested.
Apparently, however, not all Internet users are aware of this, as the survey results show. According to this, 22 percent of citizens release their data because they do not know how to prevent this. 16 percent often do not think about the problem, as they indicated. According to their own statements, only 13 percent generally refuse to use their data.
Digital Markets Act
According to Lemke, in order to strengthen consumer protection on the Internet, a fair legal framework is needed that limits the power of digital corporations. The EU law on digital markets (Digital Markets Act, DMA) is setting a good example. The law passed last year is intended to limit the market power of the Internet giants, ensure fairer competition and give consumers more freedom of choice when it comes to online offers.
Enlightened citizens are also needed for the “transformation of the digital space”. “We have to educate them and sharpen their skills,” said Lemke. After all, according to the survey, about every second adult in Germany says they can no longer imagine life without digital services and products. 21 percent of respondents fully agreed with this statement. Another 28 percent tend to agree.