Consumers show data breach concerns

2009-07-03

Nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) of consumers feel especially concerned about using their card and PIN to make a purchase if an outlet has suffered a data breach, research has suggested.

This could encourage firms to improve their IT security, as an international survey released by the Secure POS Vendor Alliance (SPVA) has revealed that 84 per cent of consumers said that companies that suffer a data breach should be required to make the incident known to the public.

Christophe Dolique, SPVA chairman and executive vice-president, said: "These findings confirm the strong correlation between the strength and quality of security and consumers' views and behaviours toward using card payment systems."

Meanwhile, 73 per cent of respondents said that more strict standards will need to be in place before they will trust the security of their credit card transactions.

The Ministry of Justice experienced 394 data breaches in the 2008/09 period, Justice Secretary Jack Straw recently revealed - something that the British public may be anxious about as well.

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