Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Unisys Global Study: Consumers Would Relinquish Some Privacy for Convenience

While privacy remains a major concern of people around the world, new research from Unisys Corporation debunks some of the traditional myths concerning protection and use of identity credentials. The results show that a majority of consumers would share personal data if they knew the end user will securely protect their information and they can perceive a clear benefit in convenience gained.

In the first global survey of its kind, the Unisys research also found that most consumers (71 per cent) worldwide are willing to have a multi-purpose identity credential that many organizations would accept to verify a person’s identity before providing access to secure records or locations.
The research also pointed to preferable methods of technology for identity verification, revealing that more than two-thirds (67 per cent) of consumers worldwide would support using biometrics such as voice recognition or fingerprints. When comparing biometrics to other security devices such as smartcards and tokens, 66 per cent also favored biometrics as the ideal method to combat fraud and identity theft.

The Ponemon Institute, a leading independent firm that specializes in privacy and security research, conducted the survey on behalf of Unisys.
Rodney D. Ryder

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