privacy Americans survey: half won’t unlock phone for money
A new data-removal survey finds Americans say privacy matters, but almost half won’t share their texts or unlock their phones for money. Here’s what to do.
A data-removal survey found 45% of U.S. adults aren’t concerned about online privacy.
Among people who say they have nothing to hide, 58% would refuse to hand over an unlocked phone for any amount of money, 39% cover the camera on their device, and about half wouldn’t share their text messages with the government or Big Tech for three months’ pay.
65% of respondents don’t know how many websites they’re registered with, showing how much data is scattered everywhere.
Experts advise practical steps like turning off ad personalization, limiting location and contact sharing, and treating a phone number as sensitive information.
Quick read · 2 min
A new survey shows Americans say privacy matters, but many don’t act. It found 45% aren’t worried about online privacy and a majority would guard their devices in concrete ways, yet a lot of data still sits out there.
For your everyday life, start small: limit ad personalization, turn off location sharing where you don’t need it, and control which apps can access your contacts. Treat your phone number like a credit card number and be mindful of data you share when signing up for services.
What’s next? Expect more insights from Incogni on how people manage data removal and consent, plus practical reminders to keep your data under control.
Turn off ad personalization
Limit location sharing for apps
Review which apps can access contacts
Privacy is top of mind, but a lot of us aren’t taking basic steps to protect it. A new data-removal survey shows that while many Americans say privacy matters, a sizeable chunk don’t act on it. The survey questioned 1,517 U.S. adults and found that 45% aren’t concerned about online privacy. That gap between what people say and what they do matters more than you might think, because small, everyday choices add up to a lot of data being exposed.
Two numbers stand out. First, among people who say they have nothing to hide, 58% would refuse to hand over an unlocked phone for any amount of money. Second, 39% would cover the camera on their phone or laptop, and nearly half would not hand over their text messages to the government or “Big Tech” for three months’ income. It isn’t that people are careless; it’s that privacy feels abstract until an actual breach, price tag, or misuse hits home.
Ron Zayas, founder and CEO of Ironwall by Incogni, explains the tug-of-war: privacy feels like a widget you can ignore until it isn’t. “Privacy is essentially what happens when someone reads your messages, sees more of your data, or charges you more because of your data footprint,” he says. He notes that many people assume privacy policies spell out exactly what happens with data, but policies often bury the details in legalese. The practical effect is that people end up unknowingly sharing more than they intend.
Another striking finding: 65% of respondents aren’t sure how many websites they’ve given their data to. We sign up for one thing after another and never go back to clean up. In real terms, that means a lot of data sits loose in countless accounts, ready to be bought, sold, or repurposed.
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What to do today to close the gap
Experts like Zayas say you don’t need a full-on bunker approach to privacy. He recommends easy, Apple-friendly steps that work across devices used by most Talk With Tech readers. Start by dialing back what’s shared with apps: turn off ad personalization, disable unnecessary location sharing, and limit contact access granted to apps. Treat your phone number like a credit card number, don’t give it out where it isn’t needed. If you don’t want to strip all personalization, at least turn off the most invasive data flows first.
California readers may know about the CCPA and similar “delete” laws, which allow people to request data removal. Zayas mentions such tools as a practical lever, but the general idea applies everywhere: reduce who can see your data, and keep fewer copies around when you can. In short, small, deliberate changes beat a grand, all-or-nothing approach.
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What this means for you day to day
The takeaway is simple: privacy isn’t a monster lurking in the fine print. It’s everyday choices, what apps can see, what data they collect, and how long it’s kept. For most people, the impact is not a single breach, but a gradual erosion of privacy that adds up in ad targeting, price discrimination, and data-sharing across services.
If you want to start now, pick one or two changes you can keep up over a week. For many, that means turning off ad personalization in system settings, limiting location access for apps, and reviewing which apps can access contacts. Your future self will thank you for it when you’re not surprised by targeted offers or unexpected data requests.
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What happens next
Incogni’s team plans to release more insights in coming weeks, including how people feel about data removal services and how consent shapes everyday tech use. If you want a quick win, check your iPhone or Mac privacy settings this weekend and adjust the following: app permissions for location and contacts, ad personalization toggles, and a quick audit of which sites or services have your data cached through third-party sign-ins.
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