There’s no money in a ‘privacy phone’

[Commentary] Despite all the hubbub, though, there’s precious little evidence that US consumers are willing to actually pay a premium or even go much out of their way to protect their privacy in an increasingly connected world.

A 2013 survey from the Pew Research Center found that only 41 percent of US Internet users had set their computer browsers to turn off or disable cookies, and a recent Microsoft survey found that only one-third of consumers had adjusted privacy settings in their social networks. And a 2013 survey form the tech market research firm uSamp indicated a mere 4 percent of users had switched mobile service providers due to privacy concerns.

Fears about mobile security and privacy grow more legitimate by the day, but there’s no reason to think consumers will pay to alleviate them.