Unisys Research Finds Majority of Hong Kong Citizens Support Greater Police Surveillance of Roads and Bank Monitoring of Credit Card UseMost Hong Kong residents will tolerate employers tracking their internet use but don’t want the government to be able to do so
HONG KONG, April 29, 2010 – New research from Unisys shows 81 percent of Hong Kong residents support greater police surveillance of our roads and freeways, and 80 percent are in favour of banks increasing surveillance of credit card use.
The Unisys Security Index™ research, conducted by Synovate, aims to understand Hong Kong residents’ response to increased surveillance in environments ranging from the workplace to the city’s roads.
“Hong Kong residents will support increased surveillance in some instances, but their support varies depending who is conducting the surveillance, what activity is being watched, and, we suspect, the perceived personal benefit of the activity,” explained Terence Wong, Practice Director – Public Sector, Unisys Hong Kong.
The Unisys Security Index research found:
“The Unisys Security Index research suggests that Hong Kong residents appear to be wary of surveillance where they do not see a clear personal benefit,” explained Mr Wong.
“For example, there is high support (81 percent) for increased police surveillance on roads as the likely perceived benefit is that it could help reduce traffic accidents and road deaths. Similarly, with the rate of identity theft on the rise globally – and often covered in the media, increased bank surveillance of credit card usage could be seen as a way to prevent unauthorised use of your credit or debit card and so is supported by 8 in 10 Hong Kong residents.
“Meanwhile, just half of the population supports employers increasing surveillance of a worker’s internet usage, and 42 percent are not in favour. It appears that that while people may not be wild about the idea, they tolerate and understand the right of an employer to know how their equipment is being used.
“However, when it came to increasing government surveillance of personal internet use, only 46 percent of those surveyed are in favour, and 49 percent are opposed. It would appear that Hong Kong residents do not see a benefit for them to have increased surveillance in this area,” said Mr Wong.
Looking forward, Unisys predicts that there will be increased use of intelligent surveillance equipment driven by better technology and a change in the way that surveillance data is used. “Surveillance systems that are more sophisticated and intelligent will be able to identify a security breach as it occurs and respond immediately instead of simply recording activity to be reviewed after the incident,” said Mr Wong.
“However, the Unisys Security Index research highlights that the public’s willingness to support such security measures varies widely Clearly, the successful implementation of any new surveillance program requires clear consultation with the parties involved so that they know the purpose and intended benefits of the measure being introduced,” Mr Wong said.
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