Brits trust the medical profession most with their private data, while they trust social media firms the least, according to a new poll.
In a recent online YouGov survey, conducted for Websense, British public express their concern for the ability of various groups and organisations to keep their data safe.
With businesses embracing social media and allowing employees to interact on these sites, British public worryingly rank their ability to keep data secure in the lowest position, with only 14% being ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ confident of social media sites to keep data safe.
In contrast, 79% are ‘not very or ‘not at all’ confident.
Medical professionals and financial institutions also ranked in the top 3, with high street retailers and mobile phone providers holding positions at the bottom of the table.
Key findings:
Respondents that expressed they were either ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ confident in organisations ability to protect data ranked medical professionals top of the table with social media coming in last.
Medical professional – Hospitals/doctors (63%)
Financial institutions – Banks & insurance (53%)
Central Government – including HMRC, DVLA & Passport Agency (47%)
Utility providers (38%)
Online retailers (37%)
Local councils (37%)
High street retailers (32%)
Mobile phone providers (26%)
Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn (14%)
Andy Philpott, regional vice president, UK and Ireland for Websense explains: “The threats to data are real and the British public is well aware of this. Whilst public perception of data protection appears low, with only two out of the nine organisations ranking above a 50% confidence level, this doesn’t have to be the case. We would urge all organisations to ensure they’re truly protecting their confidential data – which includes the personal information of the British public.”
Methodology;
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2107 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 31st January – 2nd February 2011. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
