A recent comparative study completed on mobile phone users on both sides of the Atlantic has shown the differences and similarities in opinions about the security of mobile phones and the data they carry.
The survey, operated by iReach Insights for Inhance Technologies, set out to examine attitudes to mobile phone security and whether there is a market for enhanced product warranties which include coverage of the data contained on mobile devices.
The results of the survey showed that in both the UK and the USA mobile phone users are worried about the security of the data stored on their phones and in the cloud. While today’s Smartphones are cost a lot of money, most users rate the data stored on their mobiles as being at least the same value as the phone itself. 75% of U.S respondents believed the data to be of equal value as the phone, with the figure increasing to 80% in the 18-54 age range.
Fear of loss of a phone has risen with over a quarter (27%) of U.S respondents more concerned about the loss of their device than a year previously, while the figure stands at 22% in the UK. With an increased fear of loss and a high value placed on the data stored on Smartphones the market is strong for tech companies and insurers who can offer better data security tools to protect Smartphone data. Insurance policies covering the device itself could give way to more thorough policies which also take the value of the data into account.
Insurance providers have previously just device coverage in the event of theft, which for first and second generation mobile phones was adequate. Today, with the huge volume of data stored on Smartphones and tablets, product warranties need to adapt to provide the coverage that today’s mobile users require.
70 percent of respondents were worried about their phone being stolen, not for the cost of a new phone itself, but the loss of data which in many cases cannot be replaced.
Added security measures would be of interest to consumers and are a major selling point of consideration according to the study which showed that 52% of adults in the United States would be more likely to pick a particular mobile if it had enhanced security features that secured the content in the event of theft, while younger users are even more likely to buy mobiles with security apps and features. 62% of respondents would be likely to purchase an insurance policyto cover both device and data if it was available to them.
So while the general public is growing more concerned with data privacy, a large majority of medical service providers do not yet have a HIPAA texting policy in place to protect private patient data.