Net users wary of corporate prying on usage habits

While the Indian government's ever-increasing efforts to monitor the airwaves draw rising concern, US internet users are more worried about corporate snooping than government-sponsored prying, a study has found. 

The study by the University of Southern California's (USC) Annenberg School of Communication & Journalism finds that while 48 per cent of Americans are concerned about businesses tracking online activity, only 38 per cent worry about government tracking.

The tenth annual study from the Digital Future Project at the school, released on Friday, was based on a survey of 1,926 internet using people aged 12 and older; and claims a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points. 

The findings underscore growing concern about consumer rights and privacy as more and more people rely on internet and mobile technologies in their everyday lives.

''Many of us are worried that the Big Brother in our lives is actually Big Business,'' said director of the Center for the Digital Future at USC Jeffrey I Cole, in a statement. ''Internet users have major concerns about corporate intrusion - and who can blame them?''

The study comes in the wake of recent developments that have raised serious issues regarding consumer privacy and personal information, from the massive data breach impacting Sony's PlayStation Network and Qriocity service to revelations that Apple's iPhone and Google's Android.