The research, from DataIQ in association with DST, revealed that 78% of companies believe it is ‘vitally important’ to process data for legitimate business interests. However, while 28% of consumers believe they should always be asked for permission for their data to be used, only 15% of companies track permission company-wide. 

Other findings were that 21% of consumers believed that their data consent should only be valid for six months, and the same percentage believed their data should be deleted straight away. Just over two fifths ( 41%) of consumers said they didn't mind providing their data if they understand how it will be used. 

The research, which surveyed 1,000 consumers and 187 businesses, was carried out to address the potential impact of the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on ‘business critical processes'. 

“With such a high degree of connectivity and internet activity, consumers are increasingly faced with requests for their personal information and their permission to make use of it,” said Ruaraidh Thomas, managing director at DST Applied Analytics. “It’s clear from this research that companies need to work to understand their customers’ expectations when it comes to sharing data in order to build long lasting relationships, especially given the upcoming GDPR.”