Organisations and individuals recognise the importance of data privacy, but don’t believe that the companies they work with are looking after their personal information.
A survey of 10 000 consumers, conducted by the Harris Poll on behalf of IBM, shows that 78% of US respondents say a company’s ability to keep their data private is “extremely important”, but only 20% “completely trust” organisations they interact with to maintain the privacy of their data.
Other findings from the study include:
* 75 percent will not buy a product from a company – no matter how great the products are – if they don’t trust the company to protect their data;
* 73% think businesses are focused on profits over addressing consumers’ security needs;
* 73% indicated it is extremely important that companies quickly take proper actions to stop a data breach; and
* 60% are more concerned about cybersecurity than a potential war.
“Increasingly, we are seeing companies around the world trying to balance providing personalized services to consumers, while maintaining privacy,” says John Kelly, IBM senior vice-president: cognitive solutions.
“Getting this right requires companies working closely with each other and, importantly, with governments, to ensure the right protections are in place.”