New research from Frost & Sullivan has found that UK consumers have only a marginal degree of trust in organisations to protect their digital data.

The Digital Trust Index is based on various metrics, including how willing customers are to share personal data with organisations, how well they think organisations protect that data and the extent to which consumers believe companies sell their personal data to third parties. The index is based on a rating out of 100, with 100 representing “total trust”.

UK responses to the survey revealed that the Digital Trust Index for 2018 is 56 points out of 100 in the UK, lower than in France (58) and Italy (57), but above Germany (54). It is also markedly lower than the 61 global average score. These scores indicate only marginal faith by UK consumers in the ability or desire of organisations to fully protect user data.

The survey revealed that less than half of UK consumers (46 per cent) are willing to provide organisations with their personal data in exchange for free or less expensive services, with 83 per cent of respondents preferring security over convenience during the transaction authentication process.

Some 64 per cent of consumers and 89 per cent of UK organisations agreed that providing consumers with easy-to-understand information about data protection policies increases trust. However, only a third of respondents claimed to have received such information, despite 85 per cent of organisations claiming to have provided it.

Jarad Carleton, industry principal of cybersecurity at Frost & Sullivan, said: “What the survey found is that there is certainly a price to pay - whether you’re a consumer or you run a business that handles consumer data - when it comes to maintaining data privacy.

“Respect for consumer privacy must become an ethical pillar for any business that collects user data,” he added.

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