Data compromises a game-changer for kiwis

Kiwis are very concerned about data breaches, to the point where four in five would stop dealing with the organisation and almost half would take steps to publicly expose the issue, a new survey has revealed.

The poll, conducted by Consumerlink on behalf of Unisys, asked 532 people what actions they would take if they found out their personal information being held by an organisation had been accessed by an unauthorised person.

80% of respondents would stop dealing with the organisation, the survey found, while 26% said they would continue dealing with the organisation, but not online.

48% said they would publicly expose the issue, and 36% would take legal action. 91% would change their passwords.

Brett Hodgson, managing director of Unisys New Zealand, says the survey shows data loss is seen as a ‘fundamental breach of trust’ by the New Zealand public.

"These findings are a warning to any organisation holding personal data that customers will walk away if they become aware that their private information has been accessed by unauthorised people,” Hodgson says, "whether accidentally or as part of a malicious attack.

"Data breaches can have a direct impact on the bottom line.”

Australians were even more likely to take strong action, with 64% saying they would publicly expose the issue and 47% saying they would take legal action. The most accepting country of the 12 surveyed was the Netherlands, where 42% would publicly expose the issue and 23% would take legal action.

Go here for the full report.