Half of internet users don’t trust website privacy policies

Half of internet users don't trust privacy policies posted on websites, a new survey has revealed.

The survey, conducted by the Information Security Group (ISG), found that only 28.5 per cent of internet users responded positively when asked "do you believe that online sites will actually honour privacy policies they have posted?"

Almost twice as many respondents (51.3 per cent) said that they do not believe that privacy policies are observed.

"The survey results are a useful stepping stone to helping us understand the bigger picture when it comes to on-line privacy practices and behaviours," said project manager Dr Lizzie Coles-Kemp.

The survey, which canvassed the opinions of more than 1,000 internet users between the ages of 18 and 82, also found that 86 per cent of respondents feel they have been a victim of privacy invasion over the internet and that only 2.4 per cent are "not concerned at all" about internet privacy.

However, the results may not be as dramatic as they seem as the ISG survey includes "unsolicited phone calls" and "unsolicited emails" in its definition of "privacy invasion."