A telephone poll of 1,000 Americans has found most dont trust the government's ability to protect privacy and security online.
Forty six percent of respondents said they were "very concerned" and 35 percent said they were "somewhat concerned" that government-held data about them may be misused some day, according to the survey conducted for the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA).
In another finding that could prove a worry for electronic commerce, 72 percent said they would not feel safe signing a contract over the Internet using a "secure digital signature."
A new law is now in effect, which gives deals signed electronically the same legal standing in the United States as ones signed on paper.
Researchers said consumer confidence in cybersecurity and data privacy is critical for electronic commerce to reach its full potential. Perceived shortcomings could lop as much as US$1 trillion from global e-commerce revenues in the next three years, or about one-third of the projected total, according to the Internet search company Alta Vista.
Nearly half of respondents to the survey, 49 percent, said they would like the government to name a top computer expert as "chief information officer of the United States" to deal with cybersecurity problems.
