About half of users in Singapore are concerned about sharing personal information while using the mobile Internet or mobile applications, a new study said.
The industry GSMA announced the results of the study of more than 4,000 mobile phone users in Singapore, Spain and the UK, which sheds light on privacy issues, particularly relating to the use of mobile Internet and mobile applications.
Key areas of user concern, which focused on trust and confidence, were highlighted as behavioral advertising, location-based services (LBS), mobile applications and third-party sharing.
The report said around 81% of mobile users surveyed felt that safeguarding their personal information was very important and 76% said they were very selective about whom they gave their information to.
The study further said 89% of users think that it is important to know when personal information is being shared by an application and to be able to turn this off or on and 89% think it important to have the option of giving permission for personal information to be used by third parties.
Further, 78% are concerned with third parties having access to the location of their mobile without permission and 74% want to be told if their personal information is collected to target them with offers or promotions. About 92% of respondents have concerns when applications collect personal information without their consent and 79% would like to know when and what type of personal information is being collected.