Businesses are 'waking up' to their responsibilities under the Data Protection Act but public trust in how firms manage data is still lagging, it has been claimed.

Research published by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) shows that nearly three quarters of surveyed companies now know that under the DPA they are required to keep personal information secure, up 26 per cent on last year.

But despite this increased adherence to the legislation, public confidence has dropped – less than half of individuals surveyed feel that organisations process their data in a fair and proper manner.

Information commissioner Christopher Graham said it was encouraging that private sector companies were more aware of their data protection duties but warned that the sector "does not seem to be putting its knowledge to good use".

"The fact is that security breaches in the private sector are on the rise, and public confidence in good information handling is declining. Businesses seem to know what they need to do – now they just need to get on with doing it."

Article courtesy of Aviva PLC. Published 01-11-2011