By Julian Goldsmith, 26 February 2008 15:07
NEWS
Consumers still lack awareness of basic online security alarms despite well publicised instances of data breaches and fraud.
A survey conducted by hosting specialist NetBenefit revealed 80 per cent of consumers are concerned about internet security when buying online but 70 per cent of them did not understand the significance of the green internet browser bar (a signal the website the shopper is about to enter has been verified and identified as reputable).
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Of the 1,286 consumers across the UK surveyed during December by the company, 20 per cent did not understand the function of the golden padlock icon, which appears when shoppers are about to enter a secure website certified by Secure Sockets Layer.
According to NetBenefit COO Jonathan Robinson, the findings are a concern because approximately half of the respondents said they would be prepared to spend up to £500 online.
Research from IMRG, which found £84m was spent online on Christmas Day alone, supports this.
Robinson said in a statement: "It is of the utmost importance that shoppers start to check up on their favourite shopping sites' security as only then will the UK's 62,000-plus internet traders take the shoppers experience and safety more seriously."
Comments
There are 3 comments. Join the discussion
1. Dave Brown
I'm not surprised so many people do not recognise the "green" browser bar, I don't and I thought I was pretty security savvy. The Firefox address bar turns yellow for an https address, and my version 6 Internet Explorer (you cannot assume everyone has the latest version - especially when they don't use it) stays white.
2. Richard
Oh dear, that's not what the "green bar" means:
The "green bar" - and it's green only in MS Internet Explorer 7 - actually just means that the owners of the web-site have paid a large price for an "extended" SSL certificate.
These extended certificates are available only to large enterprises.
So, the absence of a "green bar" means very little.
Other (more secure) web-browsers such as Firefox and Opera use other colours and other mechanisms which are more likely to help consumers to stay safe.
3. anonymous
"the golden padlock icon, which appears when shoppers are about to enter a secure website certified by Secure Sockets Layer"
Actualy it switches on when you are on a SSL page not when you are going to enter one. When you log into a secure servce ,the page you enter your username and password doesn't have to be SSL but the target (action) page of the <form> does as this is what is encypted. Most sites use SSL on the login page just so the padlock lights up.