Most people lie in online forms, because they don't trust companies, study finds

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Two out of three people deliberately write wrong things in online forms, because they don't trust the companies they're giving information to, a survey has found.

People are worried that the risks in handing over data outweight the benefits, the study found. Others are afraid they'll receive unsolicited information from businesses, or that the information will be passed onto other companies without their knowledge.

Companies could stop the problems of fake data by being more clear about why they're asking for it and what they're going to do with it, participants in the survey suggested. Some 67 per cent of people think companies should be more open about what they're up to, and 94 per cent believe that they should be told more about how their data is going to be used.

The company highlighted the forms that pop up to let people use wifi in pubs or restaurants.

The study found that 18-24 year olds were particularly likely to lie, with 81 per cent saying that'd done so. And older people are less likely to, with 59 per cent of over 65s saying that they don't.

The lack of trust could cause problems for businesses, according to GBG, the data intelligence company that commissioned the study. "Data is the fuel of the digital economy, and if there’s not enough or if it’s of poor quality, businesses will not survive," said Richard Laws, GBG's CEO.