Poll: Voters Think Their Social Media, E-mail Info is Already Shared

Federal agencies struggle to gain access to content from social media and email providers, but new Morning Consult polling shows voters believe private sector companies already share their Internet activity with the government -- and they’re okay with that. Following the deadly mass shooting in San Bernardino (CA), President Barack Obama renewed his call for the tech community and law enforcement to cooperate. In a speech Dec 6 from the Oval Office, President Obama said “I will urge high-tech and law enforcement leaders to make it harder for terrorists to use technology to escape from justice.” Government investigators continually spar with the tech industry over data access in the war on terrorism, requesting consumer information and access to private messages. Technology companies frequently snub the feds and force them to seek legal channels like subpoenas or warrants. Yet the public doesn’t seem aware of this.

The vast majority of registered voters think that at least some of their online information is being shared; 41 percent of voters think social media companies share “a lot” of information with other companies or government agencies, and 38 percent think those companies share “some” information. Only 12 percent say social media sites share “not much” information with other companies or agencies, and 9 percent think they share none.