Information privacy is a source of tremendous ambivalence in the general public. Consumers tend to value the benefits that can be derived from giving up information about themselves, but – when surveyed and forced to put their opinions on record – they tend to state that they don’t want anyone to know anything. It’s kind of like screaming for more services from the government while, at the same time, voting for politicians who promise tax cuts.

A new Accenture study actually finds that 69% of participants – all business executives, not consumers interrupted during the dinner hour – would be willing to surrender personal information in exchange for discounts or monetary rewards. Information-hungry corporations, however, “should not confuse that willingness with indifference,” writes CIO Magazine’s Alison Bass. “American consumers care intensely about privacy, and once a company abuses their trust, regaining it won’t be easy.”