Data breach headlines sapping public confidence

But UK firms are becoming more aware of their obligations under the Data Protection Act, the ICO finds

Public confidence in how firms handle personal information continues to fall, the UK's privacy watchdog has found.

According to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), fewer than half of the 2,500 individuals it surveyed believed that organisations process their data in a fair and proper manner.

Some 58 per cent more private-sector data security breaches have been reported to the ICO so far in 2011/12 than in the same period last year, it added.

Having said that, the ICO's research suggested that businesses are becoming more aware of their obligations under the Data Protection Act (DPA). Nearly three quarters of the 800 firms surveyed knew that the DPA requires them to keep personal information secure – up 26 per cent on last year.

Information commissioner Christopher Graham said: "I am encouraged that the private sector is waking up to its data protection responsibilities, with unprompted awareness of the act's principles higher than ever.

"However, the sector does not seem to be putting its knowledge to good use. The fact is that security breaches in the private sector are on the rise, and public confidence in good information handling is declining."

Nick Lowe, vice president of EMEA sales at security vendor Cyber-Ark, said: "Why should the public have any faith in the existing practices employed by organisations, when news report after news report highlights a series of serious data protection failings?

"Over the past few months we have seen a plethora of NHS Trusts hit the headlines over the loss of substantial and confidential patient information. Throw into that previous reports of the police snooping on citizens' personal details and it is not exactly going to do much to bolster public confidence in the state of data protection today."