34% of adults aware of government surveillance programs have taken steps to hide information from the government, such as changing social media privacy settings (17%), avoiding certain apps (15%), and speaking in person instead of communicating online (14%). 25% of aware adults have changed how they use technologies like email, search engines, and cell phones since the Snowden revelations. However, many are not aware of more private tools like search engines without tracking, email encryption, or anonymity software. The public is divided on privacy concerns, with 52% concerned about surveillance programs but 46% unconcerned. People also have mixed views on who should be monitored.

1. The Changing Privacy Landscape
Lee Rainie (@lrainie)
Director, Internet, Science, and Technology Research
Pew Research Center
3.16.15
#SXSW2015
Report today: http://pewrsr.ch/1BebzCA

3. 34% of those who are aware of the surveillance
programs (30% of all adults) have taken at least one step
to hide or shield their information from the government.
• 17% of the adults who have heard about the government surveillance
programs say they have changed their privacy settings on social media.
• 15% have avoided certain apps; 15% have used social media less often.
• 14% have spoken more in person instead of communicating online or
over the phone.
• 13% have uninstalled certain apps; 13% have unfriended or unfollowed
people on social media.
• 13% have avoided using certain terms in online communications.
• 11% have not used certain terms in search engine queries they thought
might trigger scrutiny.
• 8% have deleted social media accounts.
• 8% have made more phone calls instead of communicating online

4. 25% of those who are aware of the surveillance programs
(22% of all adults) say they have changed the patterns of
their own use of various technological platforms “a great
deal” or “somewhat” since the Snowden revelations.
18
17
15
15
13
13
9
25
Email accounts
Search engines
Social media sites
Cell phones
Mobile apps
Text messages
Landline phones
Those who have changed at
least one of these

5. Many have not considered or are not aware of some of
the more commonly available tools that could make
their communications and activities more private
• 53% have not adopted or considered using a search engine that doesn’t
keep track of a user’s search history and another 13% do not know
about these tools.
• 46% have not adopted or considered using email encryption programs
such as Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) and another 31% do not know about
such programs.
• 43% have not adopted or considered adding privacy-enhancing browser
plug-ins like DoNotTrackMe (Blur) and another 31% do not know about
such plug-ins.
• 41% have not adopted or considered using proxy servers and another
33% do not know about this.
• 40% have not adopted or considered using anonymity software such as
Tor and another 39% do not know about what that is.

6. The public has divided sentiments
Overall: 52% very/somewhat concerned vs.
46% not very/not at all concerned about surveillance pgms
On their personal behavior …
38 39 37
31 29
54 53 54
47 49
4 5
7
19 19
Email messages Search engines Cell phones Social media Mobile apps
Very/somewhat concerned
Not very/not at all concerned
Not applicable

7. The public has divided sentiments
61% are less confident (especially Republicans)
vs. 37% more confident programs serve the
public interest
---
48% say courts and judges are doing a good job
balancing Americans’ privacy rights with
intelligence agency/law enforcement interests
vs. 49% say they are not.

8. Who should be monitored
Visit child porn site
Visit anti-American
group sites
Search: ‘explosives’ /
‘auto. weapons’
------
Split on
Unusual bank
withdrawals
Use encryption
Hate speech about
Amer. leaders
40
54
60
60
82
57
44
38
37
15
American citizens
Citizens of other countries
American leaders
Leaders of other countries
Terrorism suspects
UnacceptableAcceptable

9. 1. Privacy is not binary / context matters

10. 2. Personal control / agency matters

11. 3. Trade-offs are part of the bargain

12. 4. The young are more focused on
networked privacy than their elders

13. 5. Many know they do not
know what is going on

14. 6. People are resigned – even hopeless – and
their trust is fading

15. The balance of forces has shifted in the
world of networked information that is
persistent, scalable, searchable,
spreadable …
… and which is created and shared by
networked individuals
----
The new reality is that people are “public
by default and private by effort”
-- danah boyd

16. Thank you!
Lee Rainie
lrainie@pewresearch.org
@lrainie
@pewinternet
@pewresearch
This report: http://pewrsr.ch/1BebzCA