• This month

  • …at a glance

• Top stories

  • Flexible working to be extended
  • New code on discipline and grievance
  • Working Time Directive opt out extended
  • Greater rights for agency workers
  • The dangers of chocolate and why someone else’s mobile ‘phone may be a source of business for you

• News archive

  • May 10
  • July 09
  • June 09
  • May 09
  • April 09
  • March 09
  • January 09
  • November 08
  • July 08
  • June 08
  • April 08
  • March 08

Enquiries

T: +44 (0) 1451 812 225

info@west-writing.com

The dangers of chocolate and why someone else’s mobile ‘phone may be a source of business for you

Two recent surveys have shown the high risks associated with the low level of awareness that most of us have for data protection issues.

In a survey for an information security business, researchers at London’s Liverpool Street station gave chocolate bars as an incentive for filling in a questionnaire which asked, among other things, for the participant’s computer password. 45% of women and 10% of men cheerfully gave up their passwords together with dates of birth, names and telephone numbers in return for the chocolate.

An unrelated survey from Vodaphone found that 70% of those questioned admitted to talking about work issues in places such public transport and 20% of the survey included sales leads in the category of information that they would discuss in this way. More than 25% of the sample also confessed to following up a lead collected from listening to someone else’s conversation overheard on the train.