Seven in 10 European consumers would trust organisations more if they were to use biometrics for authentication on their online accounts, a new Unisys survey has revealed.

The study asked 3,500 consumers across seven European countries their opinion on biometric authentication for access to web-based accounts. Security was cited as the key driver for adopting biometric technology, with 52 per cent of respondents believing it to be a more secure way of accessing services.

A further 63 per cent believed that biometrics are more secure than traditional PIN and password methods, with 57 per cent stating that fingerprint scanning is the most secure form of authentication.

Half of those surveyed thought that the introduction of biometrics would help avoid having to remember passwords, while nine per cent viewed biometrics as ‘more fun’ than other authentication methods.

Banks were rated as the most trustworthy organisations for managing customer data (cited by 51 per cent of respondents), followed by the government (45 per cent). By comparison, just 12 per cent of consumers put their trust in social media companies.

Salvatore Sinno, global chief security architect at Unisys, commented: “We are seeing the need for more than just the traditional password and PIN as the sole method of authentication. Mobile device usage has bought biometrics to the mainstream as more people access their phones via a fingerprint reader. With the arrival of the iPhone X, facial recognition will most likely become just as commonplace.

“It’s good to see the public across Europe putting trust in this technology,” he added. “In today’s environment it makes sense for organisations to have a multi-layered approach to security, to address new legislation such as the General Data Protection Regulation, and reassure the public and build trust between consumers and service providers.”

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