Government Not Trusted To Keep Our ID Safe Says Public
- Calls for code of conduct to help restore public faith in identity security -
Public trust in the Government’s ability to handle their personal information has plummeted according to new figures out today prompting calls for a voluntary code of conduct to protect people from fraud.
The results, released today as part of the GB Group Trust Index, reveals the industries and sectors that the public feel are least trustworthy with their personal information.
In the same poll carried out last year, central government almost topped the index as the most trusted organisation to look after our data. Today’s results* show that almost 24 per cent of consumers said they trusted them the least giving them the second lowest rating on the list.
These findings come less than one year since the HMRC data loss scandal, yet the government is currently calling for further data sharing. The unveiling of the new ID card scheme at the Labour party conference last week is likely to further raise the public debate on data safety.
The GB Group Trust Index also reveals that concern is running high amongst consumers with nearly a third (30%) being “extremely concerned” about ID theft.
With National Identity Fraud Prevention Week (NIDFPW) starting today, GB Group, the UK’s leading identity management company, is calling for a code of conduct and an accreditation scheme to be issued to organisations to help restore consumer trust. . The new guidelines should clearly outline best practice on the collection, handling and storing of data, and tighter penalties should these guidelines be broken.
A similar program was launched in Scotland this September by the Scottish Business Crime Centre (SBCC) and GB Group with the support of APACS, the UK payments association. They released an advisory guide for protecting both customers and companies themselves and a series of seminars around the topic will begin in November. GB Group is hoping that the government will look to implement a similar scheme in England.
Richard Law, CEO of GB Group commented: “These results show a real need for organisations to look at how they handle data and take action against identity fraud as over three quarters of the public are now concerned about becoming a victim.
“Two steps must be taken to help restore the public’s trust. Firstly, we need a code of conduct on identity security, like the one in Scotland, that all organisations can sign up to. Secondly, we need tougher penalties for those who break data protection laws and show a cavalier attitude to personal identity security.”
*Omnibus survey conducted by The iD Factor amongst 1000 18+ adults across the United Kingdom from 19th – 23rd September 2008.
September 2008