Three out of four people no longer trust Big Tech with their personal data. That’s not just a number. It’s a signal. A growing shift in public awareness: from dependence to digital autonomy.

Where does this number come from?

This statistic comes from research by YouGov and the Norton Cyber Safety Insights (2022), cited by Exploding Topics in 2024. In countries like the UK and Spain, 75% of adults feel that tech companies have too much control over their data. Source: explodingtopics.com/blog/data-privacy-statistics

Why do people feel this way?

The reasons are clear: Tracking without consent. Apps and websites track your behavior behind the scenes. Data sales. Personal information is treated as a product. Profiling and algorithms. Your online experience is curated by systems that may know more about you than you’d like. Lack of transparency. It’s often unclear what actually happens with your data.

One example: you browse a clothing site, and suddenly that same jacket follows you in ads for days. Or your location is shared automatically without explicit permission. People feel watched, manipulated.

75% of people feel uncomfortable with the power tech companies have over their personal data.

What are the consequences?

Growing distrust. People are becoming more skeptical and cautious. Changing behavior. Some seek privacy-friendly alternatives; others feel stuck in systems they can’t escape. A deeper debate. Who really controls our data? Us, or the platforms?

What can you do?

Fortunately, there are real alternatives. More and more people are choosing tools that respect privacy:

  • Use browsers like Brave or search engines like Startpage instead of Google.
  • Store your files with open-source systems like Nextcloud.
  • Choose privacy-friendly hardware, like the OwnPhone or laptops with an open source operating system such as Linux Mint.
  • Explore alternatives. There’s a whole ecosystem of privacy-first tools, many of which you’ll find through YourData Network

What makes YourData Network different? We go beyond protecting your privacy. We make sure you actually own your data and the network it lives on. That means your privacy isn’t just promised. It’s structurally protected. You don’t hand over your data to another third party, you stay in control.

Take back control

Three in four people feel uneasy about the power tech giants hold over their data. You don’t have to be one of them.

Want to take back control of your digital life? Start here at YourData Network.