Trust in the Internet is crumbling

[Commentary] We are commemorating Data Privacy Day here in the US, while Europe is acknowledging Data Protection Day. It couldn't be more timely.

, creating huge new business opportunities for tech security vendors -- and complex challenges for governments. A gargantuan global market for new technologies to lock down all the clever things we can now do in the Internet cloud, with our mobile devices, is rapidly taking shape. The underlying threats are worsening at a rapid pace. Some 67% of SMS text message scams tracked by messaging security firm Cloudmark in 2013 sought to lure U.S. victims with various financial offers, while phishing scams accounted for 20% of SMS spam aimed at Americans. This suggests that the consumer data stolen from Target, Neiman Marcus and Michaels will be put to use aiding and abetting scams. Phone numbers associated with specific store purchases and specific bank cards make phishing ruses, deployed via mobile devices and social media sites, much more successful. The scammers' end game: get you to make a bogus transaction and/or divulge other valuable personal information. Better technology alone won't be enough to slow the erosion of trust in the Web. Government must step up.