Majority of U.S. Adults Believe Their Personal Information Has Been Breached
A majority of Americans (44 percent) believe their personally identifiable information (PII) has been stolen as a result of a data breach. A strong majority (63 percent) are concerned that prior breaches could lead to future identity fraud, and a significant number (37 percent) believe they have already been a victim of fraud.
The Identity Protection & Data Breach Survey by 4iQ provides insights into the prevalence of citizen PII loss, and uncovers perceptions around the effectiveness of those guarding data. While 75 percent of respondents perceived their employers to be “effective” or “very effective” at protecting PII, only 42 percent felt the same way about the government’s effectiveness.
Similarly, in terms of actions taken in the wake of a breach resulting in PII loss, respondents also anticipated higher levels of response from employers than government. More than 83 percent said they would expect security upgrades and proactive communications from employers and 54 percent would specifically expect the offer of identity protection services. This numbers shrunk to 74 percent and 50 percent for government breaches.