The Average Louisianan Would Sell Their Personal Data for… How Much?

In this age of online shopping, digital subscriptions, and online banking, we are all very concerned about online personal security.  As well we should be.  There are companies now whose sole purpose is to protect your personal and financial information online. Because there are companies and individuals whose sole purpose is to get it from you... legally or not.  You can find videos on YouTube that will show you settings on your phone, that you probably didn't even know existed, that you might want to change.  These settings allow or restrict how much data from your phone that you allow to be released to Apple, or other companies about your digital habits.

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If you're familiar with the TV show Parks & Recreation, the character Ron Swanson, who is a government-hating Libertarian, who works for the government, finds out about digital cookies websites and companies use to track your web-surfing habits.  The next scene is a jump-cut to Ron carrying his computer outside and throwing it in the dumpster. I feel a lot about a lot of things the same way Ron Swanson does.  Which is why it amazed me when I heard about what it would take financially for someone to sell their personal online shopping data.

Nearly a third of online shoppers said they would sell their personal shopping data if they had the opportunity to profit from it. In fact, a significant 85% of internet users felt they should be financially compensated for any of their personal data that had been sold to a third party.

The website CouponBirds recently conducted a survey of over 3,500 consumers to determine, if it were theoretically possible, how much it would take to sell their online shopping information. They broke down the numbers by state.

States Placing the Highest Value on Their Online Shopping Data

1. Colorado: $2,867.20
2. Nebraska: $2,784.75
3. Wyoming: $2,347.33
4. Minnesota: $2,202.55
5. Oklahoma: @2,016.00

States Placing the Lowest Value on Their Online Shopping Data

1. Tennessee: $623.04
2. Idaho: $742.30
3. Michigan: $801.17
4. Mississippi: $866.43
5. Utah: $919.75

So this means Louisiana fell somewhere in the middle of the list.  I count that as a positive. According to this survey, the average Louisianan would sell their personal online shopping data for $1205.75.  This is still lower than the national average of $1452.25.

‘It’s a scary reality that our internet browsing history holds a significant amount of information about our personal lives, which is an invaluable asset to companies that use this data in their online advertising schemes,’ says Tricia Smith for CouponBirds. ‘It’s important to make sure your personal information is protected online, even if you’re only placing a one-time shopping order from a website. Ensure your passwords are unique and protected, and while you’re at it, double check your privacy settings on social media too!’