A Sense of Anarchy Permeates Attitudes about the Web Across the Americas, consumers believe that there are essentially no rules to the way information is managed and protected across cyberspace. In the absence of such rules, consumers feel a heightened sense of risk when engaging in transactions. In cyberspace, consumers encounter a new type of risk - identity risk. This risk involves the possibility of misuse of personal information by a wide variety of individuals and institutions. For most consumers, the key concern involves hackers making their way into corporate and governmental databases.
People consider security of their identity as important as the security of their money.
Big Brother is Watching Perceptions of online privacy vary slightly across the Americas. Online users in the US believe privacy is mostly non-existent. Latin Americans and Brazilians are a little less cynical about online privacy. Governments are widely believed to be able to easily monitor everyone's activities. Those same governments are also seen as unable to protect anyone's privacy.