The British prefer to abandon Facebook rather than Huawei

The British prefer to abandon Facebook rather than Huawei

British users are losing confidence in many of the most popular applications on the market today due to concerns about the misuse of their data, according to a study by the open source communications software provider Open Xchange.

The British prefer to abandon Facebook rather than HuaweiThe survey illustrates consumer opinion of leading messaging providers such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, as well as broader consumer confidence in the technology sector.

The geopolitical issues affecting Huawei appear to have had little impact on how consumers in the UK see the Chinese company, despite repeated accusations that the Chinese company is engaged in surveillance practices.

Only 11 percent of respondents wanted to stop using Huawei products or services, while more than 32 percent of Britons wanted to stop using Facebook's products and services.

14 percent of UK consumers hope to stop using Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp-owned services.

Despite recent privacy scandals, only 10 percent of Britons are looking to stop using Google's products and services.

Eleven percent of UK consumers are trying to stop using products or services developed by Apple.

Many consumers seem to have serious trust issues when it comes to sharing their data online, with only 5 percent saying they have complete confidence in these companies when it comes to how they handle their data.

While 58 per cent did not trust large messaging system providers with regard to their personal data, 63 per cent replied in the negative when asked whether they thought large messaging platforms respected their privacy rights.

Seventy-three percent of Britons said their confidence in large messaging system providers such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger has declined over the past two years, with only 3 percent retaining the same level of confidence that was at the beginning of this time frame.

"The biggest privacy risks today come from large messaging system providers," the study said. "These companies are essentially reliable tools for personal and business communications, but for a large proportion of us, confidence in these companies is at an all-time low."