Fewer Americans Are Worried About Digital Privacy in 2022

Staying safe online can’t be ensured if digital privacy is difficult to come by, and that is why so many Americans cited digital privacy as a major concern last year. In spite of the fact that this is the case, it seems that the tide is starting to turn, with 42% of Americans saying that they are worried about digital privacy in 2022 as opposed to 48% in 2021 with all things having been considered and taken into account.

This data comes from a study conducted by the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF), and it showed that steps taken by major tech companies have managed to assuage some of the concerns that users might have. These steps include adding new privacy settings, and Apple’s default off option for third party data tracking has likely done a lot to give users peace of mind as well.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that this decline, while definitely pertinent, is not a huge decrease from last year. 42% is still a huge proportion of the American populace, and around 30% of users said that very common tracking scenarios represented a misuse of their personal data and a violation of their privacy online.

Some data tends to have more of an impact than others. Users were more likely to feel like their privacy was being violated if the data being mined was of their location, live or otherwise. On the other hand, data surrounding items that users may have left in their cart was considered less of a privacy invasion, likely because it does not contain any personal or sensitive information and the benefit that it provides to the end user is quite clear.

Consumers are also developing preferences about how they want to be grouped in data categories. Being classified or categorized based on age and gender was perceived as less invasive than if mobility data or locations were being used. Brands need to come to terms with the new normal and find a new way to do business without this data.

Read next: How to protect your sensitive data when browsing online
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

More Trouble For Apple As Brazil Issues Another Hefty Fine For Not Shipping Power Adapters

Just last month, we heard about a shocking report where Apple had been ordered by Brazilian authorities to put an end to iPhone sales if the package didn’t include phone chargers.

But it appears the famous Cupertino firm failed to take that warning seriously. At that time, it received a mega fine worth a staggering value of $2.3 million.

Now, the company is receiving another major fine for the same endeavor. The only difference now is linked to charges issued by a civil court in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo.

This new lawsuit was put out by the country’s consumer organization. They feel the product can only function if and when a second purchase comes into play. So now, they feel it’s time for Apple to be fined again and be held responsible for the huge damages.

The judge for the case says that all products must arrive with chargers for consumers who choose to put their trust in and buy such iPhone products from Apple. The variants for which the lawsuit is being spoken about include those of the past two years- iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. In the same way, any future products need to have an adapter as well.

For now, the decision is not being called out as final but there is room for an appeal.

But Apple has already issued an explanation for such scenarios, responding to critics about how it takes the environment very seriously. Therefore, they’re avoiding the shipments of power adapters. Only the Lightning for the USB cable is being provided and not the actual adapter, it went on to add.

They say this is nothing new and has been a rule of the firm since the year 2020. And after introducing such a policy, so many other leading tech giants began to follow in its footsteps, especially when it came down to premium segments.

H/T: Reuters

Read next: Apple Pushes One Step Further Into The Innovative World Of Banking And Finance
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

A New Study Has Showed That Over 5 Billion Phones Are Going To Be Thrown Away In 2022 Even When They Can Be Used For A Bigger Cause

A recent study has shown that in the year 2022, about 5 Billion phones will be thrown away for multiple reasons. If we put these phones on top of one another, we will get a 30,000 miles long tower which is larger than the distance of the International Space Station from Earth and about an eighth of the distance to the moon. This research was conducted from June to September by Waste Electrical And Electronic Equipment Forum (WEEE) and they found out that out of 8,775 households in six countries, every household owns an average of 74 electronic products. These electronic products include mobile phones, laptops, tablets, toasters, microwaves, etc.

Out of these 74 devices, only 13 on average are being used regularly, nine of them are unused and about four of them are broken. Keep in mind that this data is only from the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Slovenia, Romania, Portugal, and Lebanon. If we gather the devices like mobile phones, toasters, electric toothbrushes, etc. that are in everyday use by people in these countries, they will weigh about 24.5 million tons, which is four times heavier than the Great Pyramid of Giza. These items make up 8% of the e-waste that is thrown into the garbage every day until all the land gets filled.

Magdalena Charytanowicz of WEEE says that the electronic devices that people throw away in the garbage can be used to remake more electronic and electrical devices. This will not only help in making the world a sustainable place but also reduce the carbon level in the environment to a great extent. But many people also hoard their phones. A large population says that they may have to use them in the future. 15% want to sell them and 13% have an emotional attachment to them.

On the occasion of E-Waste Day, WEEE invited many organizations to work on preventing people from disposing of electronic and electrical devices. These devices can be used for bigger causes like wind turbines, electric car batteries, etc. To make people give their devices to organizations working on E-Waste, collection boxes in supermarkets and other public spots is the right way and WEEE is surely working on it.

Read next: 1 Out of 3 US Teens Now Own an Apple Watch According to This Report
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Gen Z Eschews Mass Media, Prefers Hyper-Targeted Forms of Media

Every single generation that was born prior to Gen Z tended to gravitate towards mass media, and this resulted in a rather homogenous global culture. In spite of the fact that this is the case, Gen Z is bucking that trend, and a recent report from Horizon Media highlights that. This report shows that traditional forms of mass media such as TV and print are just not giving Gen Z what they need, and their main focus tends to be social media.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that even in the world of social media Gen Z are using way more apps than Millennials. While Millennials and Gen Xers used at most two to three social media apps, Gen Z consumers are using a much wider range. Each app is meant to fulfil a specific function, such as Reddit being used for discovery, Telegram being used for privacy, Geneva being used for intimacy, and Twitch for live streaming.

This suggests that Gen Z is moving away from coalescing into a single culture, and are instead branching out into a wide range of subcultures. That’s unsurprising given that media has so many different avenues because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up facilitating the promotion of multiple voices that wouldn’t have made the cut when mass media was controlled by a chosen few.

It is telling that Gen Z consumers refuse to stick to a small set of apps even if many of them serve similar purposes. Additionally, influencer content might slowly become less useful than might have been the case otherwise. Gen Z consumers are looking for individualized and personalized experiences, and that will change the shape of things to come to a great extent.

As the newest generation enters adulthood and starts to command greater influence over the world at large, we might see these subcultures and forms of media consumption becoming commonplace. Single entities would no longer hold sway over entire industries, and that will be a welcome change.

Read next: Social Media Reach Rate Is Towards Its Decline, Facebook and Instagram Are Suffering Most From It
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Meta Adds New Privacy Policy Called ‘Eye-Tracking Privacy Notice’ To Its Quest Pro Headset

It is truly an exciting time for tech giant Meta at this moment. We recently saw the launch of a new Quest Pro headset that showed off an array of new legs for avatars across Horizon Worlds.

We also saw the firm inform others about the new launch of its AR-themed glasses. And if that was not fancy enough, well, there are more developments in terms of the upcoming metaverse.

It’s very easy for so many people to get lost in all the different happenings taking place thanks to this technology. There’s so much at stake but one thing that has been put in the spotlight is the firm’s new privacy policy.

Thanks to reports from Gizmodo, we’ve got an indication of how Meta is trying hard to include a new component into the privacy policy for its Quest Pro. This is called Eye Tracking Privacy Notice.

Upon opening the page, many will be guided to a set of new paragraphs that are dedicated to a place where data gets collected. In that, we see the firm mentions that those willing to share more data will now be utilizing eye-tracking services and other forms of data points to assist in the firm personalizing experiences and enhancing Meta Quest as well.

There is no talk about any details that go on to state how Meta would be using such information to put out ads for users. But the part that mentions personalizing experiences is another name given to targeted ads and eagle-eye tech experts are having a hard time letting the news go.

This particular social juggernaut isn’t willing to hide behind its aspirations. In a recent interview, Gizmodo says Nick Clegg who is Meta’s head of global affairs, mentioned that the decision to add eye tracking is to better understand better if users were busy engaging in ads or not.

And the issue here is not solely limited to tracking only. Meta is busy working on complete tracking of users so that its avatars would be able to successfully mimic movements in a more precise manner. Thanks to the amount of information on display, it could be an indication of how Meta is trying to put out user data so they could better be served ads of their preference.

In the recent past, Meta tries to make a particular reputation with all users. It’s trying hard not to be noticed the reality is that it's notorious for ad-targeting that’s not invasive. Hence, there may be no ads in the VR world right now but it’s not a huge surprise if the firm started sneaking ads for a great experience, after the creation of a proper user base.

If these facts are indeed true, it’s a little blind-siding on the part of the consumer, we feel. Every user has the right to know what is taking place and when they’re being targeted and when they’re not.

Read next: Meta Says Employees Who Aren’t Keen On Changes Adopted For The Metaverse Shouldn’t Be Working In The Firm
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

54% of Workers Prefer Going to the Office, Here’s Why

Remote work options have become highly desirable in the wake of the pandemic, and most employees tend to prefer availing the option whenever it is available. However, not all companies have hybrid work as an option, but in spite of the fact that this is the case 54% of the employees that work for such companies stated that they preferred going into the office. This information is based off of a survey of 2,000 workers based in the US which was commissioned by Industrious.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that 76% of workers said that they enjoyed going to the office, even though not all of them might prefer it. Interestingly, 69% of the workers who responded to this survey stated that they had worked from home at least partly during the previous 3 years. 72% of them said that their immediate surroundings had a huge impact on their productivity, and going to the office might mean that they would have fewer distractions than might have been the case otherwise.

There are also several other advantages of going to the office that this survey managed to reveal with all things having been considered and taken into account. 86% of survey respondents said that they preferred to host client meetings at the office, and 62% also said that it made collaborating with their coworkers much easier. Another surprising tidbit from this survey is that 59% of workers said that they had more privacy at the office, and 57% also found it useful for doing creative work.

It is often assumed that working from home is the holy grail, but that doesn’t apply to every single. We might not see remote work becoming the gold standard, since there will continue to be certain benefits of working from the office. This survey suggests that the future looks more like a hybrid work environment where employees can work from the comfort of home or from the office based on what their day’s set of tasks are shaping up to look like.

H/T: Industriousoffice.
Read next: Social Media Reach Rate Is Towards Its Decline, Facebook and Instagram Are Suffering Most From It
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

1 Out of 3 US Teens Now Own an Apple Watch According to This Report

Wearable tech has been taking the industry by storm, and Apple has been leading the charge with its popular Apple Watch product. Reports have shown that children in particular are a target market for these watches, and parents have been purchasing the wearable tech for children of all ages including those who are as little as five years of age. This new report from Piper Sandler reveals that around one out of every three teenagers in the US now own an Apple watch with all things having been considered and taken into account.

31% of all US teens already own an Apple Watch, and with all of that having been said and now out of the way it is important to note that 16% of them said that they plan to buy one in the near future. Apple just generally seems to be an incredibly popular brand among American teens. For example, 87% of teens said that they own an iPhone, and 88% also said that they plan to make their next phone purchase an iPhone as well.

That seems to suggest that Apple’s market share in the US is only growing, and its dominance can be seen quite clearly in the world of wearable tech. Apple is selling thrice as many smart watches as its closest revival Samsung, and with its enduring popularity in the US we might see these sales become higher than might have been the case otherwise.

Parents are usually willing to buy smart watches for their kids because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up helping them keep track of them as well as keep them safe. Apple has played to this market quite smartly by offering family friendly features along with some other safety oriented features such as crash detection and notifications. All of this is likely going to make Apple Watch and other related products enjoy an extended period of high demand at least in the US, although its demand in the rest of the world is not as assured.

Read next: Security Experts Warn Most Apple Apps On iOS 16 Bypass VPN Connections
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World