Earlier this year, Nora Young issued a call in her book, The Virtual Self, for us all to become “data activists.” A study by the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project suggests that this is happening.

The study provides evidence that, when it comes to our willingness to accept mobile app default sharing settings, we’re mindful of the importance of our personal data and electing not to blindly give it up.

According to Pew, “More than half of app users have uninstalled or decided to not install an app due to concerns about personal information.”

• “54% of app users have decided to not install a cell phone app when they discovered how much personal information they would need to share in order to use it
• “30% of app users have uninstalled an app that was already on their cell phonebecause they learned it was collecting personal information that they didn’t wish to share”

Those numbers are much higher than I would have expected. Why? Because most app terms of service are understandable only to lawyers and people with the patience to read them closely. And because I would have expected most people to rush past them in their eagerness to try out the shiny new app on their mobile device.

But it turns out Americans are more privacy-savvy than I expected. Good for us!

Read the full report: Privacy and Data Management on Mobile Devices