Close to three quarters of Americans don't trust Facebook and worry about how the social media giant uses their data, according to...
Close to three quarters of Americans don't trust Facebook and worry about how the social media giant uses their data, according to a new poll.
A total of 72 percent of surveyed Americans say they're wary about how Facebook manages personal data in a poll that also reflects distrust of other social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and WhatsApp - with the latter two also owned by Facebook parent company Meta.
Just 20 percent of people said they trust Facebook 'a great deal,' with another 72 percent of the 1,100 surveyed by The Washington Post expressing distrust of the social networking giant; eight percent of people did not offer an opinion.
Meanwhile, 70 per cent of Americans said they believed their devices - phones and smart speakers such as Amazon's Echo - listen in on their conversations, without permission.
Tech firms deny this is the case, but multiple Americans have shared their unease at speaking about something with a friend close to a device, only to be offered goods and services related to the same topic the next time they log on to Facebook or Amazon.
Pollsters conducted a random sample of Americans to glean insights on how the nation feels about social media, targeted advertisements, and online privacy concerns.
A total of 72 percent of surveyed Americans say they're wary about how Facebook manages personal data in a poll that also reflects distrust of other social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and WhatsApp
The poll - taken November 22 with results released Wednesday - found 56 percent of Americans believe Facebook has a negative impact on society
About 70 percent of Americans believe their phones and other electronic devices secretly listen in on conversations without consent
Skepticism of Instagram's trustworthiness was also reflected in the survey, where 60 percent of respondents said they were cautious of the platform.
TikTok didn't fare any better, with 63 percent of Americans saying they lacked trust in the video-sharing app which has exploded in popularity, and has usurped Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook among young users.
Amazon received the best trustworthiness rankings, with 53 percent of Americans saying they trusted the online retailer. It's owned by Jeff Bezos, who also owns the Washington Post.
The bulk of respondents also trusted Google (48 percent), Microsoft (43 percent) and Apple (44 percent).
The poll appears to show that firms which sell people actual goods - Apple, Google and Amazon - fare better than Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, where people are unnerved and unsure about how their data is being used in return for free access to the sites.
Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook is the least-trusted social networking site of those included in the poll
The poll found Americans distrust a number of social media platforms, including Instagram (left), TikTok (center) and Facebook (right)
The poll - taken November 22 with results released Wednesday - found 56 percent of Americans believe Facebook has a negative impact on society. Just 10 percent of people believe the platform has a positive impact.
Facebook's reputation took a blow during the Cambridge-Analyitica scandal, when it was revealed that the personal data of 84 million users was harvested without consent between 2007 and 2014.
It took another hit earlier this year, when whistleblower Frances Haugen went public claiming that the company puts profits above morals, and that it knew full well Instagram was harming young girls' mental health, but didn't make any such disclosure.
Haugen in October shared how she routinely filed complaints against Facebook for putting profits above morals by failing to stop the spread of misinformation online, protect young people and or stop the January 6 riot.
Facebook rebranded itself as Meta shortly after the scandal broke.
Separately, about 70 percent of Americans believe their phones and other electronic devices secretly listen in on conversations without consent.
Many smartphone users have previously expressed concerns about their electronic gadgets eavesdropping on conversations to glean information for targeted advertisements.
Pictured: Facebook and Meta's European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland's Grand Canal Square
Facebook took another hit earlier this year, when whistleblower Frances Haugen went public with how the company puts profits above morals
A person chatting with a friend about Peleton, for example, might soon find ads for the popular stationary bike popping up in browsers and mailboxes.
Similarly, 82 percent of respondents found targeted ads annoying, 74 percent considered them invasive, and 27 percent believe them to be useful.
The survey found 73 percent of Americans believe tech companies' collection of user data for advertising is 'unjustified,' while another 26 percent believed it was a fair compromise for having free access to services.
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