'Mobile users not worried about security'

BLUE BELL,USA: According to recent research conducted by Unisys Corporation,the majority of mobile device users worldwide feel safe using their mobile devices for applications, including airline boarding passes; as payments in stores for low-cost items; or to access online banking.

The latest wave of the bi-annual Unisys Security Index found that the overwhelming majority of mobile device users in the United States (83 per cent), Spain (80 per cent) and the United Kingdom (75 per cent) said they would be comfortable using the devices for one or more of the applications. Additionally, about half of device users from the Netherlands (49 per cent), Belgium (51 per cent) and Germany (52 per cent) said they would feel safe using mobile devices for these same services.

Of the 80 per cent of Americans who said they own cell phones or handheld devices, 40 per cent said they would feel safe using these devices to receive notifications if their credit cards are charged more than a specified amount. And 38 per cent said they would feel safe using them to purchase cinema, sporting event or theater tickets.

While there was broad acceptance among device users towards one or more of the applications, users' responses frequently differed as to which of the applications they would feel safe using on their mobile devices. However, there was greater confidence in the security of mobile devices across the board among younger consumers. For example, 76 per cent of UK citizens 18-24 years-old said they would feel secure using their mobile devices as airline boarding passes, compared to just under half of all UK device users (49 per cent). In the U.S., 53 per cent of consumers aged 18-34 years-old said they would feel safe using them to purchase theater, sports or cinema tickets, compared to 38 per cent acceptance rate for U.S. citizens overall.

"The majority of mobile device users worldwide feels safe using these devices for financial, travel or purchasing related applications. In addition, comfort levels are higher among younger adults, suggesting that acceptance of these mobile applications will grow in the future," said Mark Cohn, vice president of enterprise security, Unisys. "This data illustrates that personal technologies such as smart phones can empower new business models, because consumers appear confident that they will be able to trust the level of security implemented by their service providers."