HomeInsightsInformation Commissioner’s Office survey shows most UK citizens still do not trust organisations with their data

The ICO is reminding organisations to be transparent with people’s personal information after a survey conducted online by Harris Interactive during July 2018 revealed that trust and confidence in how organisations handle personal data is still low, despite an improvement across sectors.

The research found that one in three people (34%) have trust and confidence in companies and organisations storing and using their personal information.  This is up from one in five people in 2017 (21%).

Trust and confidence is lowest amongst social media companies, with only one in seven (15%) people stating that they have trust and confidence in them.

Other key findings from the survey include:

  • 78% of people felt that if a company/organisation that they used was affected by a data breach and their information was lost or stolen, the company holding the data should be held responsible;
  • 51% of people are concerned about automated decision-making;
  • the public’s biggest concern when companies and organisations use their personal information is “personal information being stolen by criminals”;
  • the proportion of people stating that they or a close friend or family member have heard about a data breach has risen slightly; and
  • there has been an increase from 10% to 18% of adults that feel they have a good understanding of how their personal data is used and made available by companies and organisations in the UK.

To access the survey report, click here.

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