Consumers Concerned About Internet Security - Poll

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172880.html

By David McGuire, Newsbytes
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A.,
11 Dec 2001, 2:34 PM CST
 
In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Americans are concerned
about the security of both government and commercial electronic
networks, according to a poll released today.

More than 70 percent of Americans are at least "somewhat concerned"  
about Internet and computer security in the wake of the Sept. 11
attacks, according to the poll, which was sponsored by the Information
Technology Association of America and security firm Tumbleweed
Communications.
 
Roughly 74 percent of Americans are worried that the information they
give out online could be stolen or misused, the poll found. The
survey, "Keeping the Faith: Government, Information Security and
Homeland Cyber Defense," polled 800 randomly selected Americans.

The poll findings highlight a difficult "catch-22" for the high-tech
industry, ITAA President Harris Miller said today at a Capitol Hill
press conference to unveil the study findings.

On the one hand, e-commerce companies need to be able to reassure
consumers that it is safe for them to use their credit cards online,
but on the other hand it is important for the industry not to downplay
the very real security threats facing the Internet, Miller said.

"We don't want to say 'don't worry be happy' when we know it's not
true," Miller said.

Miller said that what may eventually be needed is something along the
lines of the long-running "Got Milk" campaign adapted for Internet
commerce.

The poll also highlighted a potential public relations headache for
the federal government, as it indicated that 78 percent of Americans
were concerned that their government-held personal data could be
misused in the future.

Only 17 percent of poll respondents reported having "complete faith"  
that the government has the capacity to prevent cyberattacks against
federal agencies.

Sen. George Allen, R-Va., and Rep. Stephen Horn, R-Calif., who were on
hand for the release of the poll, said that the government in general
- and federal agencies in particular - must work harder to develop
electronic security protocols worthy of public trust.

In November, Horn issued an electronic security "report card" in which
federal agencies got an overall grade of "F" for their cybersecurity
efforts.

ITAA is online at http://www.itaa.org .




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