Date:27/01/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/01/27/stories/2006012702000600.htm

Back `Theft of data, major concern for consumers'

Our Bureau

New Delhi , Jan. 26

THEFT or loss of personal or financial information has emerged as the most important concern among consumers worldwide, with 64 per cent expressing anxiety over such an occurrence, according to a global survey of consumer attitudes released by Visa International.

"About 76 per cent of consumers in India were also very concerned about lost or stolen information. Both China and India were in the top four countries most concerned about lost or stolen personal information among 12 countries surveyed," a Visa release said here.

China recorded an even higher concern level with information security compared to the worldwide average, with 77 per cent of Chinese indicating that they were highly concerned about having personal or financial information lost or stolen.

The global response to theft or loss of information surpassed environmental degradation (62 per cent) and terrorism (58 per cent) as a cause of concern. Other major issues for the consumers were job losses (57 per cent), diseases or epidemics (55 per cent) and natural disasters (48 per cent).