American consumers believe it is acceptable (by a 54 percent to 24 percent margin) for employers to install monitoring cameras following a series of workplace thefts. Nearly half (47 percent) say the basic bargain offered by retail loyalty cards (stores tracking purchases in exchange for discounts) is acceptable. However, while exchanging personal information for tangible benefits is deemed acceptable, consumers are leery about disclosing information and suspicious of what companies to with it, according to a Pew Research Center study.

Consumers are especially wary of how that shared information could make it into the hands of spammers and hackers. There was widespread worry among survey-takers that their information is vulnerable, even when companies are doing their best to keep it safe.