Wednesday, June 7 2006 09:54 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Houston: Majority of the American consumers do not want US companies to share their personal information with outsourcing companies overseas.

However, US adults are most comfortable with India, Canada and Ireland and have given these countries highest overall trust rankings with respect to local companies taking steps to protect or safeguard personal information.

Philippines, Mexico, Haiti and Russia received the lowest trust rankings.

The survey sponsored by global law firm White & Case LLP, and developed by independent privacy think tank Ponemon Institute found that 51 percent of US adults do not want a US organization to send sensitive personal information such as social security or driver's licence numbers to a local company in another country.

Opposition was higher when it came to sharing even more sensitive information: 60 percent didn't want their credit or debit card account numbers shared with an offshore company; 64 percent opposed having their employee records shared; 73 percent opposed having their banking or home mortgage information shared; and a whopping 83 percent opposed having their health records shared with a local company in another country.

"That so many Americans are concerned about sensitive personal data going overseas isn't surprising given the growing threat of identity theft and general misperceptions about outsourcing itself," said White & Case partner Steve Betensky, who regularly advises companies on outsourcing issues.