Ninety percent of Canadians expressed concerns regarding their privacy when doing online activities and using social media, smartphones, and artificial intelligence tools, a recent survey of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) revealed.
“Privacy matters to Canadians,” said Philippe Dufresne, federal privacy commissioner, in the OPC’s news release. “Personal information is being collected, used and shared at an unprecedented scale – and Canadians are concerned about what happens with their data.”
The OPC’s survey showed that, among Canadians polled:
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- 62 percent believed that Canada’s government respected their privacy rights
- 40 percent thought that businesses respected their privacy rights
- 28 percent were less willing and 47 percent were much less willing to share personal information with organizations, compared with five years ago
The survey also revealed that the Canadians polled were taking the following steps to safeguard their privacy:
- 78 percent declined to give a business or organization personal information based on privacy concerns
- 75 percent changed a social media account’s privacy settings
- 41 percent quit doing business with an organization that underwent a privacy breach
“Trust in how personal information is handled is becoming an important factor in people’s interactions with organizations and with technology,” Dufresne said in the news release. “Prioritizing privacy will help to maintain this trust and contribute to a more resilient Canadian economy, as well as a more secure and enriching digital society.”
Dufresne also shared the results of an online survey of parents and teachers. The survey showed that, among the survey’s respondents:
- Two-thirds or more were moderately to extremely worried about their children’s online privacy
- 45 percent were highly concerned about the risks their children faced due to the use or misuse of personal information
For its survey of Canadians, the OPC considered the telephone responses of 1,500 residents across the country between Feb. 10 and Mar. 3. For its poll of parents and teachers, the OPC did an online survey covering the responses of 302 parents and 109 primary and secondary school teachers from Feb. 25–28.
Privacy Awareness Week
Dufresne shared the results of these surveys to celebrate the OPC’s Privacy Awareness Week for this year, which ran from May 5–9 under the theme “Prioritize Privacy.” The event aimed to emphasize how strong data protection is key to fostering trust, keeping Canadians safe, helping businesses grow and innovate, and driving a resilient economy.
The OPC’s news release noted that Privacy Awareness Week takes place worldwide in May to help spread awareness of issues surrounding privacy and the protection of personal information. Members of the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities coordinate the event.