Meta is least trusted technology company, claims Forbes Advisor

The business experts at Forbes Advisor have named Meta as the technology company Brits trust the least with their data. The financial and business services comparison site carried out a nationally representative survey of 2,000 adults to uncover their attitudes towards data protection and divulge how consumers are protecting their privacy online. 

Source: Forbes Advisor

Overall, nearly half (48%) of people claim that they don’t trust Meta-owned platforms (Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp). The social media company has been at the forefront of numerous malicious data breaches, most famously Cambridge Analytica, which allowed the British political consulting firm to harvest the data of up to 87 million people worldwide, without their consent.

Following Meta, the companies Brits trust the least are its social media platform competitors. Overall, more than two in five do not trust TikTok (42%) and Twitter (41%) with their data.

Source: Forbes Advisor

Further analysis uncovered that PayPal is the technology platform trusted by most Brits, with almost half (47%) trusting the payments platform, which places high value on secure online checkouts. This is followed by online marketplace Amazon (41%) and Microsoft (39%). 

Notably, of the companies that Brits trust the most, nine out of ten were created pre-2000s. Whereas the majority of companies that Brits trust the least have been operating for less that 20 years. Chinese electronic company Huawei is the only exception to this. Mobile phone companies have been banned from using Huawei technology in their 5G roll out plans following guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

Which organisations are Brits most comfortable sharing personal data with?

Overall findings revealed that nine in ten Brits (90%) are worried about their data being hacked. Forbes Advisor further questioned this to expose which types of organisations people feel most comfortable sharing personal data with.

Nearly two-thirds are unhappy offering it to the government (63%) and more than two in five Brits (43%) are not comfortable sharing personal details with the NHS.

Start-ups are the businesses that Brits are most cautious about sharing data with, as just 4% of people claim they are comfortable doing so. This is followed closely by online gambling (7%) and social media companies (8%). 

Younger people are more comfortable when it comes to sharing data with social media platforms. More than one in six 18-34 year olds are happy to divulge their personal data to the likes of Instagram and TikTok (17%). However this decreases with age. Just 7% of 35-54 year olds claim to feel secure offering social media platforms personal data, while just 3% of those aged 55+ do feel secure. 

This stands in contrast with public sector organisations such as the NHS. More than half of those aged between 35-54 and 55+ are comfortable sharing data in this instance (64% and 55% respectively), compared to  less than half of Gen Z and Millennials (49%).

Bank details are the number one concern for Brits when it comes to being hacked, with over three quarters (77%) citing this as their greatest worry. This is followed by personal details (62%) such as address, date of birth and relationship status. 

Data around current location (25%) and income level (20%) were some way down the list of concerns, while just 4% claim to be concerned about sharing their political views.

How are Brits protecting their privacy online?

Forbes Advisor’s research uncovered that, overall, nine in ten Brits (90%) are worried about their data being hacked. Further to this, almost two in three (63%) believe that the government is not doing enough to protect our privacy and data online. Such concerns may explain why more than four in five (82%) are taking steps to maintain their privacy online. 

The most common protection people have in place is anti-virus software (53%). Here are the top 5 steps consumers can take to protect their data.

Source: Forbes Advisor

When it comes to social media specifically, one-quarter of active users (25%) are not taking steps to protect their account. Out of those who have taken steps to do so, more than one third are making use of different passwords for each account (36%) and adjusting privacy settings on their account  (36%) in order to protect their data. Additionally, one in five (21%) are changing their passwords regularly to keep their data private.

Says Laura Howard, at Forbes Advisor:

“Like or not, we all exist in an era where it’s nigh-on impossible to live without sharing your personal data – even if you don’t consider yourself to be particularly ‘digital’. 

“Making an online doctor’s appointment, paying a bill via your banking app, getting a discount on your shopping with a supermarket loyalty card, or checking the traffic before setting off on a journey – it all adds to the vast and continuous stream of data related to you and your behaviour as a consumer.

“As more and more of our daily lives are moved online, investing in a VPN (or ‘virtual private network’) is a good idea. VPNs, which protect your internet connection and privacy online, are widely available, inexpensive, and can be easily downloaded from the provider’s website. However, our survey found that, despite widespread fears around data breaches, only 20% of respondents had taken this step to protect their data.”

Data: 10 Most and Least Trusted Companies 

Most Tech Trusted Companies
Company	Trust	Distrust
Paypal	47%	21%
Amazon	41%	26%
Microsoft	39%	25%
Netflix	35%	24%
Apple	35%	27%
Google	35%	30%
eBay	34%	29%
Samsung Group	32%	20%
Sony	30%	22%
Adobe	27%	23%

  

Least Tech Trusted Companies
Company	Distrust	Trust
Meta Platforms	48%	20%
TikTok	42%	14%
Twitter	41%	17%
Snapchat	35%	14%
Huawei	34%	17%
Uber	34%	15%
Airbnb	32%	22%
Linkedin	29%	23%
Zoom	29%	22%
Deliveroo	29%	19%