Apple is no longer one of the world’s most trusted companies according to Ponemon Institute’s “Most Trusted Companies for Privacy” Study — an annual report that asks consumers to name and rate organizations they believe are most committed to protecting the privacy of their personal information.
This study tracks consumers rankings of organizations that collect and manage their personal information.
This past year – for the first time in three years – Apple was not among the top 20 most trusted companies with regard to privacy.
According to details included in the new report, Americans are growing more and more distrustful of companies that collect user data. As a result of this expanding cynicism, mobile device users are rapidly losing faith in the companies they used to trust.
Forty-nine percent of respondents recall receiving one or more data breach notifications in the past 24 months. Seventy percent of these individuals said this notification caused a loss of trust in the privacy practices of the organization reporting the incident.
Ponemon finds that fifty-nine percent of respondents “believe their privacy rights are diminished or undermined by disruptive technologies such as social media, smart mobile devices and geo-tracking tools.”
Apple is among past high-ranking companies to see its standing dip. Apple was ranked in eighth place on Ponemon’s list in 2009, but fell to 12th place in 2010 and then 14th place in 2011. In 2012, Apple fell out of the top 20 altogether.
Do you still trust Apple as a protector of your privacy?
