Elly Lau is a Behavioural Analyst at Canvas8. With a degree in sociology and Japanese studies from the National University of Singapore, she operates at the intersections of cultural insight, strategy and storytelling. Armed with a uniquely APAC perspective, Elly has conducted research on DIY media in Singapore and East Asian art history. She also writes a music criticism newsletter in her spare time and is a lifelong defender of fangirl culture.

As the new post-pandemic normal settles in and people adapt to a context of uncertainty, constant adversities, and pessimism, we are moving away from a moment in which consumers expected brands to rise up to society's challenges and into one when they’re demanding genuine allyship from businesses.

Shared Values

Aware of hidden agendas, people no longer believe in the possibility of absolute truth or complete transparency from institutions, public figures, and individuals. Yet they are still drawn to honesty, integrity, and – at times – even vulnerability, which they expect from peers and brands alike.

Radical Transparency 

Once a signifier of luxury or novelty, custom products and services are now within reach of the everyday consumer, thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence, algorithm-led platforms, and the COVID-era digitisation boom. Today, everyone wants to be the main character of their brand experience. 

Personal Worlds

As lapses in privacy protection and exploitative data mining practices seemingly become commonplace, the positive aura surrounding Big Tech appears to be fading. TikTok – a relatively young social media giant – is contending with a loss of public goodwill in many parts of the world, being subjected to a congressional hearing in the US and receiving a £12.7 million fine from the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for misusing children’s data without parental consent. 

The New York Times

BBC News

 Beyond the tech world itself, the public sector hasn’t been exempt from criticism around online privacy. The British government’s loosening of data compliance requirements to lower business costs sparked an outcry from privacy rights groups who claim that the move weakens protections for consumers. 

Bloomberg

Amid these existing issues, the powerful web-scraping capabilities of 

 have lawmakers all over the globe racing to legislate data compliance frameworks. The ICO has already issued a warning to tech firms that misuse personal information when developing 

The Guardian

 At the same time, tech-related anxieties are filtering into everyday life. Even as 

 gain more of a foothold in homes across the country, three-quarters of Britons feel that adverts derived from listening smart devices are creepy. 

Marigold

Despite this climate of unease, many Britons remain comfortable sharing their data – to an extent. Seven in ten people say they’d be happy to exchange their personal information for improved services or products, and three in ten are unconcerned about online privacy in general. 

Capterra

Data & Marketing Association

 Canvas8 spoke to eight people from across the UK about how they engage with data privacy in their everyday lives and how they expect brands to navigate this landscape.

I usually allow social media apps like Snapchat and Instagram to access my location and my personal information like my name and phone number. But I also don’t allow certain apps to access my location and my microphone. For example, food delivery apps obviously use your location to deliver orders to you, and I would only allow it to track my location when I’m in the app but not in my day-to-day life as I feel that it’s a security risk.

I’ve disabled most apps from tracking my location. I don’t feel safe disclosing my location because, most of the time, the apps I download on my phone are just for temporary use. You have to allow some apps to use your data, like Google Maps, but if it’s just games that you play for fun, they don’t need that.

I make the conscious effort to look at the data that the app is requesting and think through if it really needs the data. For example, I don’t think my fitness app should have access to my contact list, so I definitely won’t allow that. I know that my hiking app needs my location because it needs to calculate the distance or the steps I’ve taken, so for those apps, I’ll definitely allow access to my location.

I don’t really stop any apps on my phone or devices from accessing data because I need to really make sure that they’re actually recording my data. I use Fitbit, so I want it to be able to track my fitness, calories, all that kind of stuff. For the most part, the apps that I’ve got on my devices are trusted as far as I’m concerned. I’m being tracked anyway through the websites that I access. For example, I’ll use my Google account to easily log into different websites and save time on registration, so I figured that my data is already out there and available anyway.

I don’t like the thought of big companies knowing exactly what I’m doing and where I am. I automatically don’t allow any apps to track my data, but I think it’s possible that they’re still tracking you. Sometimes I find it’s a little bit strange that if I’ve been talking about a certain product, I suddenly find ads for it on my feed. I think it’s highly likely that some apps are tracking you and we’re not fully aware.

I do believe that some of my data is being collected that I am not aware of because we usually accept cookies. Rather than read through everything that they’re collecting in the privacy policy, you end up accepting all cookies or just the ones that are essential.

I blocked access to practically everything on social media, but I believe they still access your data in one way or another because you can clearly see from all the marketing and communications on Facebook and Instagram. For some reason, it’s all tailored. It does affect me because I feel like I’m constantly being watched by Big Brother and I don’t feel entirely secure.

I am conscious of the way my data is being analysed. Cookies are one thing, but when I talk about a product or even a country, I’ll get an ad based on that and I don’t like that. I try to be conscious of apps that are running in the background, and I always switch off the iPhone feature that says to allow tracking in the background. I’ve even switched off Siri on my phone.

Many Britons are taking a considered approach to data permissions, drawing the line at only giving away information that’s necessary for the basic functioning of the app or device that they’re using. “I’ve had a Fitbit recently and it wanted to constantly track my data,” says Paul, a 43-year-old from Liverpool. “I didn’t want to allow that, but then it wouldn’t work properly if it didn’t, so I had to agree to that.” This sentiment is reflective of the 46% of Britons who identify as ‘data pragmatists’, sharing their information with companies as long as there’s a clear benefit. 

 Notably, some respondents also view personalised content – a common advantage associated with data tracking – as unsettling, which aligns with the two-thirds of Britons who feel disturbed by targeted ads derived from third-party cookies. 

 Spotify, however, is demonstrating how brands can walk the fine line between personalisation and invasiveness. By repackaging users’ listening history into a narrative journey of self-discovery, its annual Wrapped feature makes 

 much more transparent, palatable, and experiential.

Thanks to improving digital literacy rates in the UK and the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Britons are increasingly aware of the need to safeguard their information online. 

Lloyds Bank

 They’re more conscious of what exactly they’re sharing, how they’re doing so, and who is on the receiving end. “I always make a conscious effort when installing an app to understand why I’m doing so in the first place,” says 37-year-old Plymouth resident Isaiah. “Occasionally, I go through the apps to look at the data they have access to and decide if they should still access the data on a needs basis.” The key here is restoring agency to users, especially at a time when it’s easy for people to feel as though their lives are at the whim of algorithms. According to research carried out by Canvas8, 57% of Britons want to tailor the information they provide to brands to see more targeted ads, signalling how giving people control over their data can actually help with engagement. 

Research conducted by Canvas8

 To this end, Google has allowed users to 

remove personally identifiable information

 about themselves from search results, and it has also mandated Android apps to provide clear, user-friendly guidelines on 

Committing to transparency and data protection

Some Britons remain uncomfortable with data tracking because they feel surveilled. Often, this discomfort stems from not knowing how companies use their data. “I don't know whether that data is used for genuine purposes or whether it’s purely for those corporations to make more money,” says Olga, a 35-year-old Londoner. It also doesn’t help that data breaches remain commonplace, which further ruptures the trust that people have in companies that claim to protect their users’ data. The UK alone accounted for 43% of cyberattacks that occurred in Europe throughout 2022. 

 In light of these issues, surface claims of transparency no longer cut it when it comes to winning over people’s confidence. On this front, software company 

 helps web developers by flagging privacy issues in their source code, enabling them to address data security problems in a timely manner and provide airtight privacy infrastructure for prospective users.

 of Britons feel that adverts derived from listening smart devices are creepy

 of Britons identify as ‘data pragmatists’, sharing their information with companies as long as there’s a clear benefit

 of Britons want to tailor the information they provide to brands to see more targeted ads

Many Britons are taking a closer look at the types of information that apps and devices seek to access, partially rejecting them if they don’t see the relevance

Despite being more conscious of their privacy and acting to prevent online tracking, targeted suggestions have left people concerned about invasive practices

Britons’ discomfort with being tracked is somewhat down to a lack of awareness around how brands use their information

United Kingdom

Social networking

Technology

While data is the lifeblood of many businesses in the digital era, growing distrust towards Big Tech firms has made Britons wary of the information being collected without their consent. Canvas8 spoke to eight people to understand their views on data privacy and how they protect themselves online.