Security concerns on the rise, Aussie support for better protection with biometrics

Peter Dinham
Wednesday, 21 October 2009 08:54

Business IT - Security

Concerns about Internet security in Australia are growing rapidly, to the point that the majority of Australians now say they are happy for a wider deployment of biometric technology and to use their fingerprint to prove their identity.

According to the Unisys Security Index, research in Australia has found “overwhelming support” for fingerprint and other biometric technology to protect their private information, particularly as their online fears and identity theft worries increase.

Unisys Asia Pacific vice president, public sector, Allen Koehn, said today that concerns about a range of security issues are starting to grow including “computer security in relation to viruses and unsolicited emails, and the security of shopping and / or banking online.

“The top two security concerns for Australians are both identity fraud related with 59 percent of Australians either extremely or very concerned about other people obtaining and using their credit card and/or debit card details.

“The second highest concern relates to the loss or misuse of personal information with 58 percent of Australians either extremely or very concerned about this issue.”

Koehn says these are very high levels of concern, “so it is perhaps not surprising that Australians are so keen to use sophisticated biometric technology as a means of increasing protection against identity fraud and related crime.”

According to the Unisys survey, one in three Australians are now seriously concerned about the ability of governments and financial service providers to protect their personal data, and at the same time, many indicate that they are ready to take the next step in even more secure identity management, with the majority supporting the use of biometrics including fingerprint and iris scans.

Koehn says that “the good news is that seven out of 10 Australians are confident in the ability of their financial service provider or government to protect their personal information,” and he adds that they have given a clear sign that they are “willing to be part of the solution when it comes to tackling identity theft and related crime,”, with the majority of people saying they are willing to use sophisticated biometric technology to prove their identity.