Research Studies & White Papers: Privacy
Americans' Opinions about Healthcare Privacy, January 2010 (click to download study)This study of American consumers shows that they trust healthcare providers far more than the government with the privacy of their medical records.
Are You Ready for HITECH?, November 2009 (click to download study)
The purpose of this study is to determine the readiness of healthcare companies to comply with the privacy and security provisions of the HITECH Act. The Act extends HIPAA rules for privacy and security safeguards, including increase enforcement, penalties and audits.
Annual Privacy Trust Study for Retail Banking, October 2009 (click to download study)
Our seventh annual privacy trust study for the U.S. retail banking industry asks consumers to indicated how secure and confident they feel when sharing their personal information with their primary banking institutions. Despite the financial crisis earlier this year, a majority of consumers in our study still see their primary banking institution as committed to protecting their personal information. This study reports the most trusted retail banks for privacy in America.
Annual Privacy Trust Study of the United States Government, March 2008 (click to download study)
It’s safe to say the federal government holds more sensitive data than any other organization, yet a large proportion of Americans don’t trust its commitment to privacy. And that trust is decreasing rather than improving. Some divisions of the government are held in high regard, however. This study shows that the Postal Service continues to be highly regarded, as does the Federal Trade Commission. This study looked at several factors that may influence Americans’ beliefs in the privacy commitments of governmental entities.
U.S. and UK Studies on E-mail Marketing Practices and Privacy, June 2008 (click to download U.S. study, click to download UK study)
These two Ponemon Institute studies examine the gap between marketers and privacy professionals in their perceptions about the privacy practices in organizations. Both groups agree it’s important for customers to trust organizations' privacy practices, however, marketers worry that complying with privacy regulations could hamper their ability to attract new customers. More than a third of marketers do not limit the data shared with third parties, while 75 percent of privacy professionals believe their organization does limit the data it shares.
Annual Privacy Trust Study for Retail Banking, June 2008 (click to download study)
It should come as no surprise that trust is increasingly important in customers’ loyalty to their bank. While overall trust in the industry is down, banks that experienced a significant data breach also experienced a significant decline in their trust scores. This study also reveals there is a correlation between customers’ trust and how long they remain with the same bank. Customers expect their bank to have protective measures in place to guard their data. If that expectation is not met, they will change banks.
Annual Most Trusted Companies for Privacy Survey, December 2008 (click to download study)
Consumers select the companies they trust most for privacy. In this year’s study, the top three companies are: American Express, E-Bay and IBM. A key finding is that privacy matters to consumers.
