A new report finds that shows that 40 percent of consumers are more concerned about their privacy online following the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with the period before the pandemic erupted.
The survey relates to U.S. consumers, where around one thousand people were polled. The findings indicate that one of the reason for the privacy concerns relates to cybersecurity, with 730 people indicating they lack confidence in the security of their passwords.
With privacy, the poll found that 26 percent of people are unaware of the data that is being collected about them. This comes at a time when around one quarter of people are indicating they have shared more of their data as they access more online services.
The survey was commissioned by the company Callsign. Providing an overview of the findings for Digital Journal is Amir Nooriala, who is the Chief Commercial Officer at the company.
Nooriala says that it is not surprising that there are concerns with the traditional password and privacy. However, technology is progressing and there are alternatives to replace or to bolster password security.
This centers on biometrics, which is concerned with the measurement and statistical analysis of people’s unique physical and behavioral characteristics.
Nooriala observes: “The role of the password has changed dramatically in the last few years, with new authentication methods available to validate who we are. The fact that consumers are worried about privacy when using their digital identities highlights how digital identification needs to become streamlined and more secure.2
As a result, Nooriala finds: “Organizations need to build solutions that don’t compromise privacy for security or user experience.”
Are the days of the password dead? Nooriala thinks so, commenting: “It’s time to stop focusing on passwords as the sole way to authenticate users. Instead, businesses should build other verification methods into their customer security strategies, such as passive behavioural biometrics which are analysed against thousands of contextual data points. This gives consumers access to services such as online banking without disrupting the user experience, while offering peace of mind.”
Alternative forms of authentication include fingerprint scanning, one-time passwords, the use of their normal passwords, and facial recognition. Such biometric authentication methods are taking a while to roll out. This is partly due to consumer uncertainty about the reliability of these alternatives and the degree to which they function.
