75 percent of Asia Pacific consumers do not feel responsible for their own data security

F5’s latest Curve of Convenience 2020 report shows that application users in Asia Pacific routinely overlook high-profile breaches in favour of seamless user experience; seven in ten consumers knowingly share or store personal data on applications to enjoy personalised experiences.

 

AUSTRALIA,  AUGUST 12, 2020 – F5’s (NASDAQ: FFIV) latest report Curve of Convenience 2020 Report: The Privacy-Convenience Paradox uncovers that 43 percent of Asia Pacific consumers expect businesses to protect their data, while another 32 percent believe it’s the responsibility of the government. Meanwhile, more than nine in 10 (96 percent) consumers say they would choose convenience and frictionless or seamless application user experiences over security. These findings reveal a delicate balancing act between security and convenience that businesses and governments are being held responsible for.

 

Today’s challenging environment, especially in the face of COVID-19, and corresponding changes in digital habits has left many systems – and users – exposed, pressuring businesses and governments to fortify their security frameworks and further tighten regulations and compliance policies.

 

According to industry expert, Ankit Saurabh, Assistant Lecturer, School of Engineering and Technology at PSB Academy, “With COVID-19 changing various aspects of our routine, most of us have been adapting to the new normal of working-from-home, and online banking, entertainment, shopping and food delivery applications have become our primary means of accessing goods and services today. During this critical time, businesses need to work even harder towards improving their security postures to protect customer and organisational data.”

 

To remain competitive under these circumstances, businesses must consistently deliver unique, high-performing, and secure digital experiences, all while adhering to complex compliance and security requirements as well as ensuring a convenient, frictionless, and user-friendly experience. To help achieve this goal, businesses should turn to a largely untapped resource: the customer. 

 

The Curve of Convenience 2020 Report shows that 27 percent of respondents are not even aware of breaches to government sites or high-use applications, making it more important than ever to view customers as allies, working towards the common goal for a delightful, yet secure, digital experience. Users, if armed with the right information, can increase vigilance when sharing their data, or even demand for more transparency on how their data will be used. “It is imperative for businesses to not only train and equip their workforce with the necessary skills, but to also involve the consumers in this security-convenience journey to stop cyber threats in their tracks,” said Saurabh. 

 

“As COVID-19 reshapes our lives locally and around the world, businesses are ramping up digital transformation efforts to address the increased consumer demand for applications used to work, connect and entertain,” said Jason Baden, Regional Vice President, Australia and New Zealand at F5. “In terms of importance, our research revealed that 60 percent of Australians are prioritising their convenience, with 40 percent choosing security. But to truly integrate both elements, businesses should proactively involve consumers across the development of the applications, and not only at the end. To contend with the increase in both application consumption, and security vulnerabilities, collaboration is absolutely key. Partnering with consumers will allow the industry to thrive, and businesses, together with their digital partners, can create better solutions that deliver seamless yet secure experiences, any time, all the time. Bringing customers along the journey will help them feel invested in their own protection.”

 

While consumers have chosen to cede responsibility for their own digital safety to brands and the government, it is critical that these organisations continue to educate and partner with users about the consequences of their choices to trade data or privacy to gain more seamless experiences. With this partnership in place, organisations across the board can further utilise next-level technology solutions to implement robust security postures while also delivering the frictionless experiences that consumers have come to expect.  

 

Report Highlights

• Most Asia Pacific consumers assign security responsibilities to businesses and governments. 43 percent of respondents believe that the responsibility lies with businesses. In comparison, 32 percent believe that the onus lies with governments to protect their data – only 25 percent believe it is the users’ responsibility to protect their own data. Similar sentiment is reflected in Australia, as 39 percent feel responsibility should lie with businesses, 35 percent with the government and 26 percent believe the responsibility lies with themselves.
• 69 percent of Asia Pacific users, on average, are choosing to give up their privacy to gain better experiences. Respondents from China (82 percent), India (79 percent) and Indonesia (79 percent) are the most willing to share their data, with respondents from Japan (43 percent), Australia (50 percent) and Singapore (58 percent) being the least likely to trade data for more seamless experiences.
• Over a quarter of users are unaware of breaches. 27 percent of respondents in Asia Pacific indicated that they were not even aware of the breaches despite hacks that affected government bodies or high-use applications. 
• Today’s users frequently choose frictionless experiences over security, but they still expect the organisations to safeguard their data. Only four percent of respondents stopped using an application as a result of a breach, however, their trust in an organisation’s abilities to protect their data is waning across the board – with social media companies witnessing the steepest drop in trust by 19-percentage points.

Footnote 

A follow up to the 2018 survey, this year’s study was conducted online between 25 March to 13 April 2020, with over 4,100 respondents from eight markets: Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan. The study took place during the COVID-19 crisis. While this period is an anomaly, the accelerated use of the internet and applications reveal attitudes and behaviours that we believe will sustain post-pandemic.

 

Additional Resources

• Download the full F5 Curve of Convenience 2020 Report: The Privacy-Convenience Paradox
• Download the F5 Curve of Convenience 2020 Report: The Privacy-Convenience Paradox infographic
• Download the F5 Curve of Convenience 2018: The Trade-Off between Security and Convenience Infographic

 

About F5

F5 (NASDAQ: FFIV) powers applications from development through their entire lifecycle, across any multi-cloud environment, so our customers—enterprise businesses, service providers, governments, and consumer brands—can deliver differentiated, high-performing, and secure digital experiences. For more information, go to f5.com. You can also follow @F5_AsiaPacific on Twitter or visit us on LinkedIn and Facebook for more information about F5, its partners, and technologies.

 

F5 is a trademark or service mark of F5 Networks, Inc., in the U.S. and other countries. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.