In preparation for European Data Protection Day on 28 January,
the ICO commissioned a survey on attitudes towards data protection.
The YouGov poll revealed growing public concern over data privacy
and security.
Of more than 2000 respondents questioned:
- 95% considered it "very or
fairly important" that companies were clear from the outset
about how their personal data would be used
- 94% said it was "very or fairly
important" for their personal data not to be shared with third
parties
- 20% would definitely stop using the
services of a company that had incurred a data security breach, and
57% would consider stopping the services of such company
The survey results suggest that protection of personal data has
become a far higher priority for individuals. With the new General
Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) looming, companies that incur
data breaches already face the prospect of increased enforcement
action and higher regulatory fines (as the ICO's maximum
