Entrust Survey Shows Consumers Will Trade Personal Information for Better Service

Entrust has released the results of a survey that suggests that consumers are not terribly consistent when it comes to data security. The survey specifically revealed that while the vast majority (79 percent) of consumers are concerned about data privacy, most are also willing to give up their personal information if it will lead to better service.

The results reflect the responses of 500 smartphone owners in the US and 500 smartphone owners in the UK. They showed that most people (64 percent) have become more aware of data security in the past 12 months, thanks in large part to advertising and news coverage of security breaches. However, 83 percent would be willing to share biometric data with an app, and most said they would voluntarily share personal information with an app that offered more convenience (64 percent), or that was more transparent about its use of data (61 percent).

That remained true despite people’s general lack of trust in global brands. As it stands, only 21 percent of consumers believe that those corporations are able to protect their personal information, and many (31 percent) regularly scan the news for potential breaches. However, those same people were more likely to trust data privacy specialists when it comes to best practices for protecting their own information.

“As digital life accelerates, organizations and end-users demand seamless, secure experiences—without putting their data, identities and privacy at risk,” said Entrust SVP and Identity and Data Protection GM Cindy Provin. “It is imperative that business leaders ensure that they protect consumer data with strong encryption and high-assurance, cloud-based authentication while educating their customers on data protection best practices.”

Gen Z and Millennial consumers were more willing to share personal information with apps than their Gen X and Baby Boomer counterparts. Meanwhile, UK consumers had more faith in the data protection capabilities of employers, governments, and financial institutions than people in the United States.

The findings build on a previous Entrust report that found that many remote workers still have bad password habits, and are not taking the proper steps to protect themselves and their employers. In September, the company shortened its name from Entrust Datacard to acknowledge the growing importance of digital security. Entrust supplemented its physical security portfolio with a new passwordless single sign-on solution in February of 2020.

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January 28, 2021 – by Eric Weiss