14 May 2017
The 2017 Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey shows that the majority of Australians are concerned about online privacy, with 69% of us more concerned about online privacy than we were five years ago.
Three quarters of us do not trust social media companies with our personal information and a quarter of us have regretted sharing a social media post. Over half of us also say we don’t trust e-commerce companies.
Over three quarters of us are not comfortable with businesses sharing our personal information with other organisations, and nearly all of us are concerned about personal information being sent overseas.
These concerns can make us change where we shop, what we download, and when we hand over our personal information.
More than half of us have decided not to deal with a business because of privacy concerns and nearly half have decided not to download an app because of the information it might capture.
While the majority of us check that a website is secure before providing personal information, few of us take other simple steps available to protect our privacy.
- 65% do not normally read the privacy policy of any internet sites.
- 43% do not adjust the privacy settings on social media accounts often.
- 50% do not often clear browsing and search history.
- And around a quarter of us rarely or never ask organisations why they need our personal information
It’s important that organisations handle personal information with care, and that all Australians take the basic steps already available to protect their privacy.
So, to read the survey report, and our tips for better privacy protection, visit www.privacy.gov.au.
