Experian survey finds individuals unhappy with data breach notification

Most individuals who were told their personal information may have been exposed, were unhappy with the way they were informed

No one wants to be told that their personal information has been compromised, and that they now face the risk of identity theft, but a recent survey conducted by Experian Data Breach Resolution and the Ponemon Institute found that individuals are unhappy with the way they are informed of the data breach.

With over 700 respondents, 72 percent who had experienced the above scenario said they were dissatisfied with the communication and often felt the need for more information.

"While it's important for companies to do everything possible to safeguard consumer data, it's just as important to communicate effectively in the event of a breach," said Michael Bruemmer, vice president at Experian Data Breach Resolution in a press release. "Effective and appropriate communication to customers who have been impacted by a breach includes describing the type of data that was lost or taken, an estimate of probability that the data will be abused and the business recourse that the company will offer."

Seven years ago, Experian conducted a similar survey, and at that time only 12 percent of respondents said they had received notification of their information being compromised, while that number has now increased to 25 percent. A possible reason for that increase is that 47 states have implemented guidelines that businesses must abide by once personal information is lost or stolen.

The report also found was that 67 percent of individuals surveyed said the information they were given did not supply enough details and 63 percent believe that the organization in question should compensate the victims with cash, their products or services.

To avoid paying penalties for data breach incidents, companies could greatly benefit from pairing with a paper shredding service to ensure that leftover documents do not fall into the wrong hands. While proper notification is important, it should not be necessary to ever get to that step. With proper education on document destruction, businesses and their customers will continue to work well together.

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