Discussion of next generation ID verification often conjures up images of reticent consumers spooked by the intrusiveness of eye scans, national identity cards or even the notion of "being on the grid" and permanently giving away personal privacy.
But new research from Unisys suggests these concerns aren't pervasive enough to overcome the larger fear of being victimized by the array of terrorists, ID thieves, hackers, money launderers and phishermen who have become the Bowery Boys of the electronic age.
The research says a majority of consumers would share personal data if they knew the end user would securely protect their sensitive information and if there's a clear benefit in sharing that data-namely a greater sense of convenience that comes with transacting in an electronic environment.
Unisys reports that 71 percent of consumers around the world are willing to have a multi-purpose identity credential that many organizations would accept to verify a person's ID before providing access to secure records or locations. The most important functions cited for a multi-purpose credential are to prove identity for access to transportation channels such as airplanes and trains, entering public locations such as stadiums and airports, crossing national borders and accessing Internet accounts.
"Consumers understand the concept of global standards pertaining to ID security, and that was a surprising," says Mark Cohn, vp of the global public sector for homeland security solutions for Unisys. "They know how to balance security, privacy and convenience."
Cohn adds the value of standardizing and integrating verification methods, rules and technology is not lost on consumers. "Consumers will voluntarily use a smart card, which can be both an ATM card and an ID card-and a card that can be used as cash at the same time," he says. "They don't want to have 18 different cards in their wallets, but one card that has their information."
Unisys also found that banks are trusted most by consumers to issue and manage the multi-purpose credentials, and were cited by 46 percent of the respondents. That's ahead of a government agency established to issue identity cards (45 percent), law enforcement (40 percent) and a private company formed to distribute the cards (38 percent.)
"In general, there's a tremendous sense of confidence in financial firms," Cohn says, adding the banks' and consumers' experience in using and sharing data may play a role in that level of trust. He also says the findings don't necessarily mean people mistrust the government or other agencies. "We didn't ask people who they don't trust to manage the ID credentials."
