New York: A survey released this week by computer maker Sun Microsystems Inc. shows that while three-quarters of adult holiday shoppers who use computers plan to buy some gifts online, 67 per cent fear that criminals are lurking to steal their personal identification data.
Eighty-three per cent say ID theft poses a bigger threat around the year-end holidays. Yet these same consumers expect companies to protect them.
Eighty per cent say they would switch or consider switching banks if they learned their personal data were stolen, lost or shared without their consent.
About 90 per cent say retailers that compromised data could lose their business. "Consumers are trying to move past the fear," Sara Gates, Sun's vice president of identity management, said.
"Awareness about online identities is higher than we thought. The onus is on companies to increase confidence," added Gates.
The survey was conducted after a year of high-profile incidents, in which data for at least 50 million Americans, including US senators and Air Force officers, were stolen, lost or improperly accessed.
Ten million Americans a year are ID theft victims, the Federal Trade Commission estimates. Around the holidays, criminals have millions of potential targets.
The Conference Board on Tuesday said 34 per cent of all consumers will buy gifts on the Internet, up from 33 per cent last year, with books, clothing, shoes, toys, movie videos and DVDs, and music CDs the top stocking-stuffers.
Meanwhile, an ABC News survey released on Wednesday estimates 31 per cent of Americans will shop online, with higher income and better-educated consumers the most likely to do so.
JupiterResearch, a unit of Jupitermedia Corp., expects US holiday online sales to rise 18 per cent this year to $26 billion.
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