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Nearly three-quarters of US Facebook users have changed their use of the social media app over the past year, following a scandal of personal data abuse, foreign interference and hateful content. harassing. .
The results were released Wednesday in a new poll by the Pew Research Center the same day that Facebook's operations director, Sheryl Sandberg, testifies to the fight against foreign interference on the platform. in the 2016 election.
The survey revealed that 74% of adult Facebook users did one of the following: changed their privacy settings, suspended the app, or deleted them all together.
Pew found that more than one in four Americans had removed the app from their phone. Fifty-four percent changed their privacy settings and 42% stopped using the app for several weeks or more. These interventions were also much more likely to have been taken by young people, who exceeded the older users in each of the three actions. For example, 64% of 18- to 29-year-olds changed their privacy settings in the past year, compared with 33% of people aged 65 and over.
Pew conducted the research between May 29 and June 11, interviewing 4,594 people.
Facebook said in a statement to the Washington Post that users manage their information every day through the app's privacy controls. "In recent months, we've clarified our rules, made it easier to find our privacy settings, and introduced better tools for users to access, download, and delete their information. We have also launched training campaigns on and off Facebook to help people around the world better understand how to manage their information on Facebook. "
While the study suggests that large numbers of Americans are abandoning the platform or reducing their use, Facebook has posted steady daily active user numbers in its latest earnings report. However, analysts said the company may have difficulty acquiring new users in mature markets such as the United States and Europe. Facebook said that 185 million users are on the platform in the United States and Canada each day, unchanged from the previous quarter. Most of the growth of Facebook users is now coming from Asia.
Debra Aho Williamson, an analyst at eMarketer, said the survey was in line with the public's return on Facebook's data privacy scandals and lingering concerns over misinformation, election interference and negativity on the platform. -form.
"This shows that consumers are more aware of privacy and that social media companies are using their data. People are tired of the idea that they may not have as much control as they think, "she said. "There is an undercurrent of people who feel that they are not sure that social media is good for them and that it is a good use of their time."
Williamson pointed out that other research did not support the fact that Facebook eliminates users and potential users who have ignored the application come back later.
"Surveys are a good barometer of what people are feeling, but in the end, it's really hard to let go completely," she said. "If you take a break, you feel like you have missed something."
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