IBM ranks as most trusted tech provider

IBM, HP and Apple have done the most in the technology sector to secure people's confidence in their privacy policies, according to a new list of companies considered by consumers to be the most trustworthy.

The annual list, compiled by research firm the Ponemon Institute and internet privacy specialist Truste, asked 6,486 consumers which companies did the best job of safeguarding their personal information.

"Consumers want to do business with brands they believe they can trust, and we believe our study is a strong indication of which brands have best earned that trust," said Ponemon Institute chairman and founder Larry Ponemon.

Technology providers showed a marked improvement on last year's rankings, with HP and Apple both entering the top 10. IBM retained third place this year, after American Express and online marketplace eBay.

Amazon, which provides web services as well as internet shopping, came fourth on the list, HP came sixth and Apple, new to the top 20, came eighth.

Web firms Facebook and Yahoo made it into the top 20 for the first time, but there was bad news for Google, which slipped from the top 20 completely.