Regulations and Requirements

Suitability

Research Strategy

Maintenance of CRS Designation

Trend Description

• The "Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) designation is the highest credential awarded to residential sales agents, managers, and brokers."
• Real estate professionals, who qualify for this designation, equip themselves with tools, higher knowledge, and network platforms to be more efficient.
• Designated members make up the "top 3% of all real estate professionals in the country."
• The education that ensures the maintenance of the CRS designation includes "sell-a-bration sessions, CRS elective courses, free live or recorded member benefit webinars, pre-approved CRS local networking group events, and CRS-produced education courses."
• Other education that ensures the maintenance of the CRS designation includes "writing an article for The Residential Specialist (TRS), serving as a subject-matter expert (SME) for RRC, and authoring an RRC course or being a course content contributor."
• Any of the above options for the maintenance of the CRS designation must make up "two hours of continued education (CE) every calendar year."
• All real estate professionals with CRS designation, who desire to keep their designation status, must complete these two hours CE during the stated period. Failure to comply could lead to them giving up their CRS designation.

Trend Driver

• The new requirement for maintaining the CRS designation became effective from 2016 following the approval by the CRS Board of Directors at its annual meeting.
• All holders of the designation were expected to comply with this directive by the end of 2017 to maintain their designated status for the following year.
• What drove this trend was the need to create a clear distinction between the CRS and other certifications.
• Another factor that drove this trend was the need to establish a high standard for the designation.

Examples of Companies

• Companies in Texas that were at the forefront of this trend include Becker Properties, LLC, Aron Realty, Coldwell Banker United, Realtors, Man-Edge Properties, and Realty Associates.
• These companies have their managing partners, partners, or associates listed with the title of CRS designation. This implies that these real estate professionals and their firms are maintaining their designation by complying with the required CE introduced in 2016.
•  Coldwell Banker United, Realtors, for instance, has many of its real estate professionals in Texas listed with the CRS designation. Some include Sandra Dreiling, Margaret Matarazzo, Melody Pevateaux, and Henrik Thomsen.

New Technology Tools

Trend Description

• New technology tools are shaping performances differently in various industries, including the realty industry.
• As much as these tools can help deliver a sophisticated level of service to clients, it can also endanger the services rendered by businesses if poorly used.
• Real estate professionals depend on new technology tools to help improve their service offerings and delivery to clients and prospective clients.
• Continuing education (CE) in technology trends that provide innovative tools and services, which prioritizes client relationships, is helping real estate professionals in the industry to stay ahead of the game.
• For instance, a 4-hour CE course selling for $39 displays the title of "technology tools, trends, and risk management."
• The course is predicated on a 2017 real estate report by the National Association of Realtors, which states that "staying up to date on new platforms and systems will be one of the biggest challenges for brokerages in the coming years."
• Some highlights of the course include "an overview of technology tools like drones, live streaming, single-property sites, speaking photos, and how to keep online data secure."
• Other highlights include "technological advances in transaction management such as document sharing, electronic signatures, cloud storage, and organization software."
• The aim of this course is to build skills and familiarize real estate professionals with these technology tools to "enhance service to sellers and minimize risks involved in their use."

Trend Driver

• There was no way the real estate industry could isolate itself from the way new technology tools were evolving the business landscape. Therefore, change was inevitable, and technology was a significant driver of that change.
• The 2017 real estate report by the National Association of Realtors also drove the trend. This is because the body shared insights on the need for its members to move with the trend in technology and not remain stagnant. Hence, the reason for CE in learning technology tools, trends, and risk management.

Examples of Companies

• ListingSpark is "a licensed real estate brokerage in Texas" that is making use of innovative tools in technology to enhance offerings and services to clients.
• The company makes use of "intuitive technology to simplify selling homes." Examples include the use of a virtual tour for property inspections and a digital key lock-box for easy tracking of vacant properties.
• Ascendix Technologies is a "commercial real estate technology company based in Texas," which uses smart technology to help solve myriads of challenges for real estate firms.
• Some smart technology the company deploys includes CRE CRM implementation, custom software development, CRE tech software solutions, and CRM concierge services.
• Ascendix maximized business opportunities for Stiles by enriching the latter's real estate lead generation techniques. The company also helped JLL efficiently tracked properties, leases, and sales, giving the latter a 600% increase in CRM adoption.

Research Strategy

Introduction

Increased State Requirements

• In the past several years, states have increased their mandates on continuing education for insurance professionals, including property insurance brokers, requiring more frequent updates of education.
• Depending on the state, continuing education must be completed at least once every year to two years, in order to maintain an active license.
• This compares to requirements between two to five years in the past.
• Specifically, the state of Texas requires continuing education every two years that meets a range of standards.
• The typical property insurance broker now requires 24 credit hours of insurance continuing education in this two year period, which must include 2 hours of ethics.

Increased Availability of Online Options

• While continuing education requirements have increased for insurance professionals in most states, the ability to obtain these requirements online has also increased.
• For example, the state of Texas states that acceptable training methods for continuing education include classroom based, correspondence based, company seminars, computer based training, and online courses.
•  Online options for continuing education have been developed by existing education institutions, as well as alternate organizations.
• Businesses have begun to develop credit based certificates to meet the need for online continuing education, partnering with larger companies in the insurance sector.
•  Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have also begun to seek accreditation that allows their courses to be recognized by state mandated programs such as continuing education requirements.
•  Well known MOOC providers like Edx, Cousera and Udacity have also begun to partner with colleges and universities to deliver programs that meet the requirements of continuing education for those within specialized fields.

Company-Mandated Training

• There has also been an increase in requirements for companies to provide continuing education training for their employees within the insurance space.
• For example, in the state of Texas, companies are required to provide CE training for their employees in several topic areas. 
• Required courses for companies to offer their brokers or agents are focused on the sale and administration of insurance products.
• Like the individual requirements, these company-mandated CE trainings can be conducted in person or online.  

Research Strategy

Helpful Findings

• There is a projected increased demand of 19% for cosmetologists in Texas between 2016-2026. Local population increases, increased use of hair coloring services by multiple generations, and retiring workers are driving forces behind this outlook.

• Cosmetology schools may continue to offer 1500-Hour cosmetology operator courses, but the Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation is allowing cosmetology students who have studied for 1000 hours to meet licensure requirements.
• Once licensed, 4 hours of continuing education credits must be accrued prior to the re-licensing process.

• There are 44 continuing education providers for classroom courses, 42 providers for online courses, and three providers who offer both classroom and online courses. These three providers are JSpeak, Texas Cosmetology Educators, and Texas Laser & Aesthetics Training Academy.
• Online courses range from between $20-$38.99 and are far easier to find than classroom courses when searching online.

Research Strategy

Trend #1: Online and On-Demand Training and Continuing Education

• In the last decade, Continuing Education has developed more of an online presence. Continuing Education online and on-demand has transformed the way that students and professionals learn.
• More options are available for HVAC Techs and journeymen to meet their eight hours of required annual CE. They no longer have to travel long distances to attend inconveniently scheduled in-person classes. This trend towards online learning is driven by both the need for convenience and the industry desire to maintain quality standards. This is particularly evident in a state as large as Texas, where a HVAC tech in Amarillo might hear something entirely different than one in El Paso.
• TACCA (the Texas Air Conditioning Contractors Association) offers both in-person and online training.
•  ASHRAE (the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) is leading the field in offering instructor-led CE classes online and self-directed e-learning.
• Carrier, a HVAC manufacturer, is one of many companies that has created their own online school (Carrier University) to assist HVAC Technicians in learning to operate and maintain their equipment.

Trend #2: "Green" Technology to increase efficiency and cut waste

• Air Conditioning and Heating has been on the front lines of discussion around Climate Change and Sustainability.
• The industry is working towards increasing efficiency and cutting waste. This trend is due to both public interest and the desire to use company and industry resources more efficiently.
•  New standards from the Department of Energy reflect these trends: by 2018, the DOE requires energy-efficiency increases in all air conditioning RTUs (Remote Terminal Units) by 10 percent. By 2023, the requirements go up to 30 percent of RTUs and include warm-air furnaces.
• ASHRAE is also releasing a New Building Guide in 2020, focusing on "smart buildings" that highlight efficiency. They are also building a new Headquarters building that reflects these new standards.
•  Code Changes require Continuing Education instructors to stay on top of these new trends.
• Companies such as Ewing Air Conditioning and Heating are recognizing that consumers are interested in these new trends, and are focusing their advertising on it.

Trend #3: A Growing Business

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that HVAC Installation, Maintenance, and Repair is a quickly growing industry. It is expected to grow 13% nationwide from 2018-2028. These new HVAC workers will all need access to required Continuing Education training.
• Focusing on Texas, the projections are even more dramatic. Projections indicate that there will be need for an additional 6,190 HVAC Technicians between the years of 2016-2026, an increase of 23%.

Helpful Findings

• Employment of electricians in the United States is expected to increase by a rate 10% higher than the national average between 2018 and 2028.
• Texas is the state with the second-highest number of employed electricians in the United States, behind only California.
• Continuing education is particularly important among electrical contractors, both for conducting everyday business and for keeping current with industry trends, such as new lighting controls and home automation.

• The rate of retirement among veteran electricians is increasing rapidly, creating a challenging environment for trainees seeking experienced mentorship.
• With life expectancy on the rise, younger generations entering the workforce can expect to work for many decades and must therefore invest in continuing education and adult learning in order to remain relevant and employable as industries change throughout their careers.
• Tuition costs continue to rise as well, leading to concerns regarding return on investment (ROI) and relevance of course materials among students and employers paying for degree and certification programs.
• Despite the fact that trade unions and employers have increasingly called for broader opportunities in continuing education for their employees, the number of employees receiving sponsorship for such education from their employers has decreased.
•  Decreased job tenures may be part of the reason employers are not investing in continuing education for their employees, but regardless, this decline in sponsorship has transferred the financial onus to employees, increasing the importance of ROI to continuing education consumers, especially among low- and middle-wage workers.
• There is a trend among certain employers, however, in locating educational institutions to work with companies to create proprietary learning programs for corporate employees.
• Finally, it should be noted that amid the current outbreak of COVID-19, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has waived continuing education requirements for all licenses expiring now through May 2020 in order to "help keep our licensees ready and available to assist with combating the spread of the COVID-19 virus."

Research Strategy

Continuing Education Requirements

• According to the Texas Department of Insurance, continuing education keeps the agents informed and helps them serve Texas consumers in a better way. Agents should keep up with their requirements to evade penalties.
• According to the Texas Department of Insurance, most of the agent licenses require at least 24 hours of continuing education throughout each license term.
• Small value life insurance agents need 10 hours every term. Two hours must be ethics-related. At least half of the hours must take place in a classroom or in an equivalent of a classroom setting. Hours must be completed one day before the agent’s license expiry date.
• According to the Texas Department of Insurance, an agent won't be able to renew his license until his continuing education is complete and he has paid any outstanding fines. One way to resolve a deficiency is to pay a fine of $50 for each incomplete hour.
• According to the Texas Department of Insurance, if an agent has been licensed in Texas for 20 years or more, he may qualify for a continuing education exemption. An agent may also be able to apply for an extension due to military duty, a medical issue, or other issues beyond his control.
• According to the Texas Department of Insurance, if a licensee does not complete the 24 hours of continuing education before the expiry date of his license, the licensee can complete the deficient number of hours in 90 days and pay a fine of $50 per deficient hour. If the two conditions are not met within 90 days after license expiring, the license will be invalidated and the affected licensee will have to apply for a new license.
• According to the Texas Department of Insurance, the new license will not be granted until the deficient continuing education hours are completed and the fine is paid. In order to ensure that there is no delay in renewing a license, the Texas Department of Insurance encourages license holders to complete continuing education hours at least 30 days before the license expiry to allow time for the continuing education provider to report the successful completion of the course.

Credit Toward CE Requirements

• According to the Texas Department of Insurance, credit is earned by taking courses from registered course providers. Each course indicates the number of hours and whether it count toward the ethics requirement.

Other ways to earn CE credit

• Passing professional designation programs is one way to earn credits. A professional designation program is nationally recognized in the insurance industry and is issued by an entity that maintains a not-for-profit status that has been in existence for at least five years. Up to 4 hours of continuing education credits can be earned by an agent who is an active member of a state or national insurance association.
• Qualifying courses that are not certified by the Texas Department of Insurance may also be used for credit.  
• Qualifying courses are insurance courses that are part of a national designation certification program; offered for credit by accredited colleges, universities, or law schools; approved for classroom and classroom equivalent, or participatory credit by the continuing education approval authority of a state bar association or state board of public accountancy; or certified or approved for continuing education credit under the guidelines of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation.

Annuity Requirements

• According to Kaplan Financial Education, all brokers wishing to sell, negotiate or solicit an annuity contract or act on behalf of an insurer in relation to an annuity or annuity product must complete a one-time, four-hour certification training course before to engaging.
• Each Texas resident agent must complete eight-hours of continuing education that explicitly relates to annuities during the annuity agent’s two-year licensing period.
• A Texas resident agent may use the one-time, four-hour certification training course to fulfill part of the eight-hour annuity continuing education needed during the agent’s two-year licensing period.
• According to Kaplan Financial Education, the acceptable training methods for the continuing education include correspondence (print), classroom, company seminars, online (Internet delivery), CBT/CD-ROM (computer-based training), and classroom equivalents.

Continuing Education Course Delivery

• There are 37 online providers of continuing education in Texas with only 17 offering Legal Update 1 and 2.
•  382 providers are approved to offer classroom-based continuing education.
• Professional association, Texas Realtors, hosts two events each year with significant opportunities for continuing education, the Texas Realtors’ Conference each September, and the Texas Realtors' Winter Meeting.

Timing of Continuing Education

• Continuing education is available year-round, primarily via approved third-party providers.
• Each year approximately 1,700 realtors attend the Texas Realtors’ Conference which offered 29 continuing education courses during the 2019 meeting.
• The Texas Realtors’ Winter Meeting also provides significant continuing education opportunities with the 2020 meeting including Legal Update 1 and 2 in addition to 5 general courses.

Responsibility for Completion

• Individual agents are responsible for ensuring they complete all continuing education requirements as a provision of their real estate license renewal. The provider of each course is responsible for submitting the necessary documentation of completion to the Texas Real Estate Commission.

Research Strategy

Timing of Education for Property Insurance Professionals

• Both online and on-site courses are available all year round for students who wish to receive credits. However, at least half of the required hours must be classroom or "classroom equivalent", meaning no more than 12 hours of self-study courses can be certified as credit.
• It can be inferred that insurance professionals tend to obtain their credits during the less busy, late fall or winter seasons, in contrast to the high-peak, spring and summer seasons.

• This seasonality in insurance sales is assumed to be correlated with the home sale market, as mortgage lenders may require new homeowners to secure property insurance before the purchase. In short, as fewer homes (and therefore fewer insurance coverage) are sold in the less busy seasons, insurance professionals may have more time to complete courses.

Methods of Obtaining Continuing Education Credits

• Most commonly, professionals can complete a number of courses that have been approved by TDI from registered course providers only. Information on both online and on-site courses and providers is available on the Sircon website.

• Up to 12 credits may also be earned by passing qualifying national designation examinations, which grant licensees with professional designations offered by The Insurance Institute of America, The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research, and more.
• Certain "qualifying" courses that do not have TDI certification may also be accepted as CE credit. These courses are offered by accredited colleges and universities, or certified by continuing education approval authorities and board of public accountancy of the state.
• Recently, insurance companies like Lincoln Financial Group have been investing in training programs and offering continued education courses for their employees and professionals.

Responsibility of Completion

• Requirements are enforced by the Texas Insurance Code and TDI, who have online access to licensees' course completion directly from the certified providers.
• However, insurance brokers and professionals themselves must be responsible for fulfilling and keeping track of their required CE credits in order to maintain their licenses and avoid penalties.

RESEARCH STRATEGY

Cosmetology Work and Licenses

• In Texas, it is not possible to provide cosmetology services legally with an expired license. Depending on a licensee's status, a license renewal process may take up to several weeks.
• A licensee can begin a renewal 60 days before the license expires. If the license has been expired for less than 3 years, it is still possible to renew the license by paying a higher fee for a renewal application.
• If a license has been expired for three or more years, it is only possible to "apply for a new license and take the required exams."

Continuing Education Courses

• It is necessary to complete a continuing education course approved by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) to renew a cosmetology license.
• Continuing education courses for cosmetologists (including estheticians) "must include one hour in sanitation and three hours in any topic listed in section 83.120 of the Administrative rules."
• A licensee (except for those who are over 65 years old and have a cosmetology license for at least 15 years) is required to complete four hours of TDLR approved continuing education to renew a license. For a 64-year-old licensee who has a cosmetology license for at least 15 years, it is required to complete only one hour of sanitation.
• Additionally, continuing education courses for cosmetologists must allocate a portion of time for education on human trafficking. It should provide tools for recognizing and assessing potential victims, including how to report such cases.
• Continuing education courses can be completed at any time during the two years before the license expires.
• Continuing education courses can be completed with one of the registered providers. Most of the providers offer online courses, but some providers also offer courses in classrooms.
• The course is completed once the licensee completes the required number of hours, and there is no final exam. Upon completion, a provider is required to report the continuing education hours to TDLR within seven days. The provider should also issue a completion certificate within 15 days from the end of a course.

Getting a New License and Taking an Exam

• Cosmetology students and licensees whose licenses have been expired for at least three years have to apply for a new license and take a full exam to get a new license. TDLR offers examination through a third-party vendor, PSI.
• All applicants must pass the written and practical portion of the exam.
• Applicants can take written exams in Abilene, Amarillo, Arlington, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Harlingen, Houston, Lubbock, McAllen, Midland, San Antonio, Tyler and Waco, and practical exams in Austin, San Antonio, the DFW Metroplex, the Greater Houston area, McAllen, El Paso, Midland, and Amarillo.
• Depending on the type of the test, applicants may be required to bring certain equipment, supplies, a live model or mannequin, or other required materials. To be able to take a test, applicants also have to bring a valid government-issued ID.
• To pass the test, applicants must achieve a score of at least 70%.

Overview

• In Texas, HVAC technicians are not required to have a license before beginning work, however, they are not allowed to perform work without supervision until obtaining a state license.
• The fee for taking the licensing exam is $115 per attempt.
• Licensing in Texas for HVAC technicians is required for technicians to obtain a job working on their own in the industry.
• There are two types of certifications that can be obtained:
•  Class A Texas HVAC license: Technicians with this license are qualified to work on units of any size.
•  Class B Texas HVAC license: Technicians with this license are qualified to "work on cooling systems that are 25 tons and under, and heating systems of 1.5 million BTUs/hour and under."

When Training Is Done

• There is no seasonal availability for taking the Texas HVAC Licensing Exam.
• According to state statutes, the exam can be taken anytime within 1 year of applying and can be taken as often as needed during that time period. However, the technician or journeyman is required to pay for the exam for each attempt.

How Training Is Done

• It is the responsibility of the technician or journeyman to obtain their own certification and licensing in the HVAC industry in Texas.
• Classes can be completed either on a campus through an accredited school or online through a home study program.  
• In addition, technicians can obtain an associates degree which would provide the hands-on requirements for licensing.
• The exam itself is taken at a PSI location. 
• The two exam types are as follows:
•  Class A Exams: 120 questions with a 240-minute time limit
•  Class B Exams: 100 questions with a 180-minute time limit
• Requirements for licensing include the following:
• Technicians must be over 18 years of age. 
• Register as an ACR technician (no exam)  
• "Have at least 4 years of experience working with AC and refrigerators under the supervision of a licensed technician within the past 6 years. "
• Complete the ACR contractors certification exam application.

How

• The state of Texas requires four hours of continuing education per year in order for an electrician to renew their license.
• These courses can be completed online or in-person. 46 providers are authorized to offer online courses, and 57 providers offer in-person learning across the state.

Who Is Responsible

• The Texas Department of Licensing and Registration (TDLR) is the entity for ensuring electricians are properly licensed in the state. Licenses must be renewed yearly, and to renew, the Department must have proof the person has completed their continuing education requirement.
• Authorized CE providers send information to the TDLR when a person completes their CE.
• Anyone in the state who performs electrical work must be licensed and therefore is also subject to CE requirements.

When

• There are no indications that there is seasonal demand for continuing education for electricians in Texas. In-person providers offer classes year-round.
• Furthermore, because licenses must be renewed yearly, this means CE requirements are rolling, meaning that whenever a person's license is due to expire, that is when they must have completed their continuing education requirements by.
• While it is impossible to tell if electricians are more likely to complete their CE requirements during one season or another, expiration dates of current licensees are fairly evenly distributed throughout the year.
• One article states that summer is extremely busy for electricians, so it is possible to assume that they are less likely to do CE requirements during these times unless forced to by leaving it too late.
• It can also be assumed that it is relatively common for electricians to leave their CE requirements until the last minute, as several  providers mention they send CE completion verification to the TDLR within 24 hours, implying that electricians are looking for the TDLR to be updated quickly because they are on an urgent deadline to renew their licenses before expiration.

Overview

• HTTP refers to Hypertext Transfer Protocol, which is used to share information over networks. Data shared over HTTP connections is in text format and can be intercepted by unintended users.
• On the other HTTPS represents the normal HTTP that is encrypted with Transport Layer Security (TLS) technology to provide secure sharing of data over connections. Usually, websites share information over web browsers.
• The major internet browsers in the U.S. by market share are Chrome (47.38%), Safari (36.28%), Firefox (4.31%), and Edge (3.94%).
• In the last few years, players in the internet browser industry have been working towards an all secure web by helping consumers know which websites are secure and those that are not based, on HTTPS.

What has Changed

Google Chrome

• In 2018, Google implemented its plans to tag HTTP sites as "Not Secure". These sites do not encrypt data shared over the internet with SSL certificates. There is also an additional information icon that on clicking reveals details why the site is not considered safe. Users may be advised not to share personal information or make purchases on the website for safety reasons.
• On the other hand, Google dropped the 'Secure' tag on HTTPS websites and retained only a padlock symbol which signifies that the site is encrypted with SSL certificates.

Safari

• Apple's Safari uses a padlock icon on web pages that are protected with SSL certificates and data sharing between the hosting server and the browser is encrypted.
• The absence of a padlock on the web page address bar implies that the site is not HTTPS compliant and therefore data shared between the hosting server and browser is not encrypted.
• Newer versions of the Safari browser warn users with a "Not Secure" or "Website Not Secure" message when they enter personal data on websites with expired or invalid encryption certificates.

Firefox

• Firefox marks HTTPS websites with a green padlock while HTTP sites are unmarked. However, if the HTTP sites have a form requesting the user to enter a password and username, it is flagged with a padlock that has a red strike-through line.
• When the user clicks this icon, additional information is revealed warning them that login information may be compromised. While Firefox intends to flag all HTTP sites like Google, it's yet to do so.

Edge

• Microsoft's Edge marks HTTPS sites with a padlock icon while HTTP websites are not marked. However, clicking the information icon on HTTP sites reveals a warning that the website is not encrypted and that it is easy for a third-party to steal user's personal information.

How Long the Transition has Lasted

•  Statistics show that the transition from HTTP to HTTPS was gradual between 2015 and 2016 but increased significantly from 2017 to 2020.
• According to Google, in march 2015, 44% of all pages loaded through Chrome where HTTPS compliant. This figure increased to 60% by the end of 2016. Between January 2017 and March 2020, this figure grew from 61% to 93%.
• While there are still many HTTP websites on the web, the push to have all websites HTTPS compliant is on course.

Impact of the Change on Site Performance Metrics

• Statistics show that 84% of consumers abandon an online purchase if they realize that the website is insecure. This means that the security of an e-commerce platform has a direct impact on its sales.
• There is a strong push to have an all secure web as hinted by Google. This means that eventually, sites that not secure will be phased out.
• HTTPS sites load faster than HTTP websites. This not only improves the ranking of the websites but also attracts more visitors.
• Studies show that 46% of people dislike waiting for web pages to load and that they spend 70% more time on websites that load within 5 seconds than those load in 19 seconds. Moreover, 79% of shoppers will not return to an e-commerce platform to buy again if they experience a performance issue.
• The Google ranking algorithm relies on HTTPS to rank organic listings. 40% of Google's page one listings are HTTPS websites. This means that HTTP sites are continually becoming less visible on the web.

Avoiding Online Services from Data-Breached Brands

• According to a Ping Identity survey that included respondents from the United States, around 78% of consumers are willing to cease engaging with a company online after it endured a data breach. Furthermore, about 36% of consumers stated that they would not continue engaging with the company altogether following a data breach.
• At least 49% of them would bypass signing up for and utilizing an online service/application that reported a data breach.

Taking Actions to Enhance Personal Security

• Another survey from Security.org revealed that 59.1% of Americans made their passwords more complex following a data breach. Around 44.6% of Americans became hesitant to provide their financial details online after a data breach.
• Up to 34.8% of them refrained from logging into their personal accounts while accessing public Wi-Fi servers, while 30.5% quit downloading files they were not familiar with.
• Moreover, 13.2% of Americans in the survey reported that they started using a VPN, or a virtual private network, which permits them to develop shield their browsing activities from others while using public Wi-Fi networks.
• Just 10.6% of them either reduced their online shopping activities or stopped altogether, while 7.3% of surveyed Americans began to use virtual debit/credit cards in order to shield their real information.

Less Trust in the Safety of Personal Information Among Older Generations

• Among those over the age of 55, only 27% reported being either "confident or very confident" in an online service provider's capability to safeguard their personal data, according to Ping Identity's survey.
• Meanwhile, 41% of this age cohort say they are willing to enter their banking credentials on a mobile application or website. More than half (54%) of those below the age of 35 are willing to do the same.
• However, individuals over the age of 55 (62%) are more willing than younger generations aged below 35 (37%) to pay money to guarantee that their personal data never gets breached.

Avoiding Unsecured Websites

• As mentioned in a blog post from HubSpot, 85% of consumers in the United States will stop browsing through a website if they recognize that it is not secured. This figure is slightly higher than citizens in Australia (77%), the United Kingdom (83%), and the rest of the world (82%). Only 15% of American consumers would continue using an unsecured site, which could be attributed to the level of awareness among citizens of the difference between it and a secured one.
• The use of a secured website keeps consumers from having their information stolen via a SQL injection, which is a form of a data breach that takes advantage of an unsecured website's SQL database management software and forces it to provide information that it usually does not.

Going Passwordless

• The co-founder of UNSProject, Jonah Stein, referred to passwords as "a 60-year-old solution built on a 5,000-year-old idea." The primary issue is that many consumers in the United States and globally use the same password, which makes it easy for hackers and identity thieves to steal their credentials and impersonate them.
• It is expected that, due to data breaches and other events, many internet users throughout the United States may be logging into the majority of their online accounts in ways that are similar to how they unlock their mobile devices, leading to the eradication of passwords. This action involves using more modern forms of identification, which are typically more complex than traditional methods. These include facial recognition, fingerprint scanning, security keys, analyzation of speech patterns, etc.
• One of the main purposes for utilizing passwordless authentication is to significantly reduce the risk of data breaches, identity theft, and related events.
• In 2018, over 70% of all consumers said they were willing to select passwordless multi-factor authentication instead of traditional passwords and usernames when it came to online accounts. Notably, older groups (55 and up) were 10% more likely to utilize this form of authentication when compared to younger cohorts.

Very Little Faith in Social Media Platforms

• In the United States, a rather small amount of citizens have faith in social media platforms regarding data protection. Many Americans believe that social media platforms are doing a poor job of protecting online privacy.
• One of the least trusted organizations concerning the preservation of privacy and personal data protection is social media providers. Merely 16% of respondents to a survey involving U.S. consumers, marketers, and IT practitioners on the impact of data breaches stated that they trust social media providers with their data and privacy.
• This fact is extremely concerning, as 54% of people say that their privacy and security is most vital to them when they are using social media compared to 51% for conducting internet searches.