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• Fifty-six percent of people think their devices are listening to them

• Seventy-two percent feel the government is failing to protect consumers from invasive data tracking

• The same number ( 72 %) believe the big tech firms know too much about them

ZIPZERO , an app transforming data into cash opportunities for consumers , commissioned new research to uncover the attitudes of Britons towards the acquisition , utilisation and safeguarding of their personal data .

The research found that more than half of Britons ( 56 %) believe that their devices ( smartphones , tablets , or Smart home products ) are listening in on them without permission .

The majority of respondents felt that not enough was being done to prevent tech companies from infringing on their privacy , as 72 % felt that the government is failing to protect them from invasive data tracking , while the same number believe that big tech firms know too much about their habits and preferences .

The issue of data privacy resonates with most of those surveyed , as 79 % believe that they should have more control over how their data is captured , stored and used online .

However , a lack of knowledge was evident , as just 44 % of respondents felt they had a good understanding of how their online data was used , and only 32 % of how significantly companies were benefitting from monetising that data .

Finally , those surveyed felt they had a right to some agency in data tracking , as two-thirds ( 65 %) of respondents believed they should be able to profit from their own data before it is used by third parties .

Mohsin Rashid , CEO of ZIPZERO , said : “ The results of this survey reveal some troubling insights about people ’ s attitudes towards their data and its integrity . While some might dismiss those believing their phones are eavesdropping as paranoid , it reflects a landscape where the access big tech has over every facet of a consumer ’ s digital footprint seems disturbingly without bounds .

“ Clearly , people want greater control over their data , more protection from the wandering eyes and ears of big tech and greater support from the government when it comes to their right to data privacy and ownership . Personal data belongs to the user , not tech giants or Internet providers ; people must be empowered to choose not just how much is shared , but who stands to benefit from it .” �