Poll Shows Americans Want Congress to Do More to Protect Them Online
23 May 2006 - 11:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
National Survey Finds Failure to Act on Information Security Has
Both Political and Economic Consequences ARLINGTON, Va., May 23
/PRNewswire/ -- The Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA) today
released the results of its semi-annual survey dedicated to
measuring the American public's confidence in the security of the
nation's digital infrastructure. The results of the nationwide
survey of 1,150 adults conducted on behalf of CSIA by Pineda
Consulting demonstrate for the first time that Americans' lack of
confidence in the Internet may have political consequences. In
addition, the survey suggests that the lack of action by the U.S.
government is manifesting itself through continued economic losses.
Fewer than one in five Americans feel that existing laws are enough
to protect them on the Internet. Moreover, voters express a clear
preference for strong federal data security legislation even when
presented with the argument that it will result in unwanted notices
and higher prices with 70 percent of likely voters agreeing that
Congress should pass a strong data security law. Nearly half (46
percent) of likely voters who think that Congress should pass a
strong data security law report that they would have serious doubts
about a candidate that opposes swift action. The survey also
revealed little difference between Republicans and Democrats on
cyber security policy issues. "The rash of high-profile data
breaches over the past 18 months has compromised more than 55
million personal records. Meanwhile, Congress has spent more than a
year debating data security legislation without results as the
issue of data security has been rising in the public
consciousness," said Paul Kurtz, executive director of CSIA. "While
data security alone won't be a deciding factor in an election, the
survey does reveal that voters have serious doubts about candidates
opposed to strong data security laws. Consumers are beginning to
understand the link between their privacy and data security and
they are looking to their government leaders for action. CSIA
encourages Congress to respond with a comprehensive national data
security law this year that establishes reasonable security
measures, creates a consistent and recognizable notification
standard, encourages best practices such as encryption, and
includes effective enforcement." The survey also showed that CSIA's
Digital Confidence Index (DCI), a measurement designed to be taken
over time to measure how economic, government or natural events
impact the confidence of Americans in the nation's information
infrastructure, remained stagnant. There continues to be an
underlying concern about the nation's digital infrastructure, which
is reflected in a DCI ranking of 57 on a 100-point scale, a
decrease of one point since November 2005. This lack of confidence
continues to manifest itself through consumer behavior that
suggests economic losses: * Only 44 percent of Americans feel their
information is safe when engaging in e-commerce and 50 percent
avoid making purchases online because they are afraid their
financial information will be stolen. * Only a third (34 percent)
of Americans feel that banking online is as safe as banking in
person. * 94 percent of Americans feel that identity theft is a
serious problem. * Only 24 percent of Americans say that businesses
are placing the right emphasis on protecting information systems
and networks. "The significance of this survey is simple: there are
consequences to continued inaction. Half of Americans are too
afraid to shop online because they just aren't confident that they
are protected. We actually saw a slight decline in the number of
Americans who feel secure shopping online over the last six months,
so clearly things are not getting better on their own," said Kurtz.
"If we cannot create a trusted digital environment, it won't just
impact e-business, it will impact all business because nearly every
company's assumptions about growth involve the continued acceptance
and usage of our digital networks. A loss of consumer confidence is
a billion dollar problem and it is time for Congress to move
forward with a national data security bill that assures Americans
they are being protected online." The nationwide survey of 1,150
adults has a 3 percent margin of error and was conducted by Pineda
Consulting in late April 2006. A more detailed report can be found
at http://www.csialliance.org/. About Pineda Consulting Pineda
Consulting is a strategic research and communications firm located
in Pasadena, California. The firm was opened by Andre Pineda, the
former Deputy Commissioner of Corporations for the State of
California. Pineda's polling experience includes Peter D. Hart
Research Associates, where he worked on the NBC/Wall Street Journal
Poll, and Greenberg Research, conducting polls for Fortune 500
clients like BP. Pineda was also the senior analyst at Greenberg
Research for the 2000 Mexican presidential campaign. More
information about Pineda Consulting can be found at
http://www.pinedaconsulting.com/. About the Cyber Security Industry
Alliance The Cyber Security Industry Alliance is the only advocacy
group dedicated exclusively to ensuring the privacy, reliability
and integrity of information systems through public policy,
technology, education and awareness. Led by CEOs from the world's
top security providers, CSIA believes a comprehensive approach to
information system security is vital to the stability of the global
economy. Visit our web site at http://www.csialliance.org/. Members
of the CSIA include Application Security, Inc.; CA, Inc. (NYSE:CA);
Citadel Security Software Inc. (OTC:CDSS) (BULLETIN BOARD: CDSS) ;
Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS); Entrust, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENTU);
F-Secure Corporation (Helsinki: FSC1V); Fortinet, Inc.; Internet
Security Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:ISSX); iPass Inc. (NASDAQ:IPAS);
Juniper Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:JNPR); McAfee, Inc. (NYSE:MFE);
Mirage Networks; PGP Corporation; Qualys, Inc.; RSA Security Inc.
(NASDAQ:RSAS); Secure Computing Corporation (NASDAQ:SCUR); Surety,
Inc.; SurfControl Plc (LONDON: SRF) ; Symantec Corporation
(NASDAQ:SYMC); TechGuard Security, LLC; Visa International and
Vontu, Inc. DATASOURCE: Cyber Security Industry Alliance CONTACT:
Stacy Simpson of Merritt Group, +1-703-390-1528, , for Cyber
Security Industry Alliance Web site: http://www.csialliance.org/
http://www.pinedaconsulting.com/
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