DATA SECURITY CONCERNS

Publics Concerns

According to a new OFCOM research, two thirds of people are concerned with the amount of personal information held about them by companies. Concerns about identity fraud and security surrounding personal details have risen by 15%. However, more people who use the internet are willing to give account details and other information online compared to 2005. This could suggest that more people are careful about the websites they are using.

Just 59% are more confident in knowing whether a website is truthful or reliable, while the majority of people make a judgement about a website before entering personal details. 11% do not enter their details and 16 - 24 year olds are more relaxed. The report is part of research into media literacy in the UK with the aim of protecting consumers who use digital technology.

Research found that households with children between the ages of eight and eleven years old are more likely to limit viewing of television through pin numbers and passwords, than in 2005. Astonishingly fewer households are using software or controls to regulate childrens internet access, with four out of five parents stating they do not need to because they trust their children to be responsible.

The study also found that one in three adults have concerns about mobile telephones, including risks to society and affordability. Around two thirds of older children agreed that violence in computer games affects people's behaviour, while 68% of adults believed that it could affect a behaviour.