"Its interesting to note that (HP Chairman Patricia) Dunn is stepping down, even though many of her peers would have done the same thing" to investigate the source of a leak, he said.

Among the other highlights of the Ponemon study were the following:

- About 85 percent of the respondents felt that protecting confidential corporate information is more important than preserving a board member's privacy rights;

- Just under a quarter of the respondents thought "aggressive surveillance methods" are employed frequently or very frequently by their companies;

- And over 80 percent said the boards they serve on now have no policy for protecting the privacy rights of board members.