Almost half of Internet users age 16 and older—48 percent—are worried about companies checking their actions on the Internet, according to a recent survey by USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism as part of the Digital Future Project.

By comparison, only 38 percent of Internet users age 16 and older are concerned about the government checking what they do online.

Other findings include:

• Among Internet users age 16 and older, 33 percent said that it is safe to voice their views about politics while online. However, 36 percent do not think it is safe to say whatever one thinks about politics while online.
• A much larger percentage—70 percent—believe that people should be free on the Internet to criticize their government while online.
• Sixty-eight percent of adult Internet users buy online, a slight increase over the 65 percent reported in 2009 and the highest figure reported thus far in the Digital Future Project.
• The percentage of users who report spending $1 to $100 per month increased to 58 percent of adult Internet users, up from 54 percent in the previous study.
• Visiting websites for video sharing or social networking such as YouTube or Facebook continues to increase; 44 percent of Internet users said they use these sites at least once a day or more, up from 36 percent in the previous study.
• In 2009, Internet use surpassed 80 percent among Americans, reaching 82 percent. In the current study, Internet use remained flat at 82 percent of Americans.
• Internet use dipped slightly to an average of 18.3 hours per week, the first time the weekly use has declined in the studies.

The Center for the Digital Future telephone and Web-based survey of 1,926 Americans over the age of 12 was conducted between April and August 2010, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.