U.S. consumers apt to give away personal data

The survey found that more than 70 percent of consumers will share information such as their name, address, postal code, phone number, account number, or answer a security question in response to an unsolicited call or email.

The web-based survey, conducted by the Ponemon Institute, surveyed more than 7,300 people in September with a response rate of 1,197.

Sixty-one percent of the respondents said they do not want to be forced to change passwords while 57 percent do not want their accounts locked down after three failed attempts to provide identification verification information. Two-thirds said the inconvenience of being denied access due a systems glitch is worse than being given access without proving their identity.

The survey also showed consumer interest in new forms of authentication, with 69 percent of respondents saying they are open to the use of biometrics.

Seventy-seven percent expect organizations to have strong identification safeguards with the top five being law enforcement, credit-card companies, hospitals and clinics, banks, and airlines.

www.privacyassociation.org