As holiday shoppers prepare to spend a record $119.9 billion online this year, a new survey found that most consumers understand the security steps taken by retailers to protect their online privacy. The new research from CompTIA finds that many Americans are willing to give retailers the benefit of the doubt if a security breach occurs – as long as they have taken significant measures to secure data. Nevertheless, the research also shows that Americans have become de-sensitized by the vast amount of conflicting information they receive about cybersecurity and privacy breaches. 

The survey* of nearly 1,000 consumers reveals that approximately 21 percent said retailers are doing a good job protecting personal information. Just 18 percent feel that online retailers are doing a poor job of protecting users' data and personal information.

"Today's patchwork of state regulations and legislation mean that consumers often times are receiving multiple and competing information about the size and scope of a breach. It has reached such a point where only 25% of consumers factor a company's privacy policies and security practices 'most of the time' when they decide to use an app, website or online service," said Elizabeth Hyman, executive vice president of public advocacy for CompTIA.

"We have lost our focus on deploying impactful policies that actually make consumers safer and instead have gone to the default of 'my regulation is better than yours'. It is time for industry and government to come together to find new national privacy and security solutions that better educate consumers and enable them to easily determine if a company is protecting their data and information – or not."

When it comes to privacy and security policies, consumers put a high value on effort and investment with 54% saying that companies who take every reasonable precaution to protect user data should be judged differently than those companies that are more lax.

*A representative online survey of nearly 1,000 U.S. consumers conducted during October 2018 with a margin of error of +/- X%.