[ISN] Study: Users OK with mobile devices for sensitive transactions

http://www.csoonline.com/article/592258/Study_Users_OK_with_mobile_devices_for_sensitive_transactions

By Joan Goodchild
Senior Editor
CSO
April 29, 2010 

Most mobile device users worldwide feel safe using their mobile devices 
for applications that involve highly-sensitive information, including 
accessing airline boarding passes; making payments in stores for 
low-cost items; or to access online banking, according to research 
conducted by Unisys Corporation. But acceptance levels vary by age, with 
younger users more comfortable conducting sensitive mobile transactions 
compared to older users.

The research, part of a bi-annual survey of more than 10,000 people in 
11 countries called the Unisys Security Index, found that 83 percent of 
mobile device users in the United States said they would be comfortable 
using their device for these kinds of transactions. The numbers were 
similar in Spain (80 percent) and the United Kingdom (75 percent). About 
half of device users from the Netherlands (49 percent), Belgium (51 
percent) and Germany (52 percent) said they would feel safe using mobile 
devices for these same services.

Of the 80 percent of Americans who said they own cell phones or handheld 
devices, 40 percent said they would feel safe using these devices to 
receive notifications if their credit cards are charged more than a 
specified amount. And 38 percent said they would feel safe using them to 
purchase cinema, sporting event or theater tickets.

While there was broad acceptance among device users towards one or more 
of the applications, users' responses frequently differed as to which of 
the applications they would feel safe using on their mobile devices. 
However, there was greater confidence in the security of mobile devices 
across the board among younger consumers. For example, 76 percent of UK 
citizens 18-24 years-old said they would feel secure using their mobile 
devices as airline boarding passes, compared to just under half of all 
UK device users (49 percent). In the U.S., 53 percent of consumers aged 
18-34 years-old said they would feel safe using them to purchase 
theater, sports or cinema tickets, compared to 38 percent acceptance 
rate for U.S. citizens overall.

[...]


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