Half of all workers admit stealing data

Half of all workers admit to having no qualms about stealing "useful" information from their employers and taking it with them to their next job, research warned today.

The poll by Check Point Software also claimed that 85 per cent of employees could easily download competitive information and take it with them to their next job.

The survey of 200 senior IT professionals found that UK employees are not quite as trustworthy as their Scandinavian counterparts.

Similar research conducted in the Nordic region found that, although most Nordic employees could download data from their current employer, only 32 per cent would go on to use this information for competitive advantage in their next job.

Over 80 per cent of poll respondents admitted taking files from work to use at home, most using USB sticks to transport the data.

Martin Allen, a spokesman for Check Point, said: "Everyone from children up to the chief executive now travel around with data on their USB sticks.

"Many can now carry 16GB in their pockets which compares with 640 reams of paper."