‘I trust you:’ Singaporeans trust gov’t to keep info private

Half of Singaporeans trust their government with data privacy, higher than the global average of 29%.

As the world shifts to more digital services, Singaporeans are the world’s most trusting of their government organisations in securing their private information, according to a global study by cybersecurity firm, Imperva.

The study, which included a survey of more than 1,000 Singaporeans, revealed that 50% Singaporeans said they “completely trust” the government in keeping their information private, higher than US residents with 19% and the global average with 29%.

Following the government, some 40% Singaporeans said they trust financial institutions, 8% trust social media sites, and only 4% trust retailers and online gaming sites.

More than half or 58% of Singaporeans said they are concerned about how much personal information they share online.

Seven in 10 Singaporeans said they have no choice but to share their personal information when using online services. Further, 60% said they share their data with several companies and they can’t verify a firm’s cybersecurity measures.

Almost half or 49% Singaporeans said they stopped or plan to stop using a firm’s services if there is a serious data breach.

With this, George Lee, regional vice president of Imperva Asia Pacific and Japan, advised businesses to follow Singapore government’s measures in protecting users’ data and securing Singaporean’s online trust.

“Business entities would do well to take a leaf from their playbook – investing in data-centric security that focuses on who is accessing their data and protecting the paths a cybercriminal might exploit to get to the data. By implementing the necessary processes and technologies to secure your customers’ data from evolving cyberthreats, you have laid the foundation for a thriving business in the online world,” said Lee.