OVERVIEW
In the digital age, data sharing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern financial ecosystems, enabling a myriad of benefits for consumers, businesses, and regulatory bodies.
As financial transactions and interactions increasingly occur online, the ability to share data seamlessly and securely becomes paramount. Data sharing facilitates enhanced risk management, personalized financial services, and robust fraud detection mechanisms, contributing to a more transparent and efficient financial landscape.
The digitization of financial services has democratized access to financial data, empowering consumers with greater control over their financial information. This transparency fosters trust and enables consumers to make informed financial decisions, ultimately promoting financial literacy and inclusion. Furthermore, data sharing drives innovation by allowing fintech companies to leverage comprehensive datasets to develop innovative products and services tailored to the unique needs of different consumer segments.
The Indian financial sector is on a transformative journey. Technological advancements are reshaping how financial institutions operate, and data is at the heart of this revolution. By leveraging user data, institutions can personalize services, assess risk profiles more accurately, and offer innovative financial products.
This data-driven approach hinges on a critical factor – user trust
In a landscape where financial information is highly sensitive, striking a balance between data utility and user privacy becomes paramount.
This report delves into the user experience with data sharing practices employed by Indian financial institutions. Drawing on a user survey conducted by Silence Laboratories, the report explores the delicate interplay between transparency, control, and user comfort with data sharing. It sheds light on the current state of affairs, unveils user expectations, and proposes solutions to bridge the gap between what is being communicated and how users perceive their control over their financial data.
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS
In India, privacy challenges are complex due to multiple reasons.
LOW LITERACY
in Cyber Risk Literacy Index
States with lower Foundational Literacy Scores
have higher cybercrimes
REGULATORY LAG
Cybersecurity regulatory frameworks falls 40.5x behind high-tech innovators’ infra
INEFFECTIVE CONSENT
Low clarity & control over granular aspects of data sharing terms
Lack of transparency and auditability
All of these problems create a false sense of safety & comfort
High trust in financial institutions and consent based data sharing
Poor risk perception and enhanced
vulnerabilities
Gap between the perceived privacy levels and on ground reality
There is no one stop solution to address the complex privacy challenges.
EDUCATION
Efforts to educate & inform customers about their rights & resources will play a huge role in addressing privacy challenges. However, this requires a long-term timeline to see noticeable impact.
PLACING TRUST IN TECH OVER LEGAL CONTRACTS
Preventing movement or exposure of data and collaborating on inferences to build a foolproof infrastructure that eliminates any risk of misuse or breaches.
Transparency, programmability and auditability to bind data processing with policy, governance and consent.
SURVEY OVERVIEW
The opacity surrounding data collection practices, the lack of user control over how their data is used, and the potential for misuse all contribute to a growing sense of unease amongst users.
Quest for Transparency and Control
The user survey exposes deficiencies in the current state of data sharing practices of Indian financial institutions. While a significant portion of users (80.4%) believe institutions are transparent regarding data sharing, there is a crucial disconnect.
6 terms of data sharing
Purpose of data collection
Duration of data storage
Frequency of data access (or refresh)
Specific data points collected
Parties with whom data might be shared
Options for revoking consent
While most users do not seem to be alarmed by such deficiencies, implementing better controls would lead to higher user satisfaction. A resounding 86.7% of users express a desire for granular control over data sharing, split roughly equally between document level control & data point level control. This disconnect between the desired level of control and the current reality is a cause for concern.
Document level control: Willingness to select the document type (for example - bank statements, Investment statements etc.) to be shared
Datapoint level control: Willingness to share specific elements within a document (such as total balances/credits/debits)