In the past, most consumers simply trusted that technology would work and that companies would use their data responsibly. A series of high profile incidents has shaken this trust and it is going to take years to recover from this and to rebuild the level of trust.

For software and technology companies, the link between data privacy and corporate responsibility is relatively straightforward. For the very first time, industry analyst firm Gartner has named digital ethics and privacy as one of the top 10 strategic technology trends for 2019. The Gartner report says that, “any discussion on privacy must be grounded in the broader topic of digital ethics and the trust of your customers, constituents and employees. While privacy and security are foundational components in building trust, trust is actually more than just these components. Trust is the acceptance of the truth of a statement without evidence or investigation. Ultimately an organisation’s position on privacy must be driven by its broader position on ethics and trust. Shifting from privacy to ethics moves the conversation beyond, ‘are we compliant’ toward ‘are we doing the right thing’”.

Even in non-tech industries, however, privacy has become a major issue. 80% of UK consumers surveyed by FleishmanHillard Fishburn have stopped using the products and services of a company because the company’s response to an issue does not support their personal views.

The research report from FleishmanHillard Fishburn entitled ‘The Dying Days of Spin’ looked at the issues that were most important to consumers across all industries and sectors (not just tech). Many of the issues that it found to be of greatest concern, such as healthcare and education, were ones that consumers expected the government to act on. Interestingly, though, the main issues that consumers expected companies to act on are now security and privacy, surpassing things like diversity and sustainability that had previously topped this list.