Personal Finance

Here's the price tag Americans would put on their social media data

Key Points
  • Recent headlines have people worried about the security of their social media information.
  • Still, it seems people wouldn't mind giving up this information, for a profit.
Brent Lewin | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Just because some people don't want Facebook using their data to make a profit doesn't mean they wouldn't be willing to do so themselves.

The typical American even has an asking price for their social media data: Around $2,160.

But residents in some states value their information more than others. For example, people in Vermont say they won't take less than $4,000 for their data, while West Virginians would give access to their personal details for just $375.

That's all according to a new survey from consumer information website Security Baron. The site polled 3,000 people to find out what price they would set for their social media data if someone was willing to buy it.

Paranoid about the internet
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Paranoid about the internet

"Privacy is incredibly valuable, but this survey shows that we are, in fact, happy to put a price on it," said Joe Auer at Security Baron.

Around a quarter of people would be willing to sell their social media data if it landed them a profit, the study found. One in 5 of Americans would purchase someone else's data.

Here's the price tag people in each state would set on their social media information. (Click on graphic to change states.)