Who Do You Trust?

Do you trust the government when it comes to safeguarding your personal information? In its annual survey, the Ponemon Institute found that most Americans did not put a lot of faith in government's ability to protect their privacy. The average score among the 75 federal government agencies covered by the survey was 38%.

Not surprising, the agencies given the lowest scores were Customs and Border Protection, and  Citizenship and Immigration Services, at 16% and 17% respectively. The Federal Trade Commission fared much better at 79% and even the IRS showed a level of trust at 71%.  But the highest score, at 87%, went to the U.S. Postal Service. Actually, the annual survey has consistently shown the USPS at the top. People have trusted and still trust the mail more than any other agency of the federal government.

For a link to a complete copy of the survey, go to Federal Computer Week, the June 2010 issue.