Corporates seen as bigger privacy threat than government
Users are more concerned that corporates, not governments, are abusing people's privacy online. With special feature audio.
New data from the World Internet Project New Zealand report reveals users are more concerned that corporates, not governments, are abusing people’s privacy online.
The survey, which is carried out every two years by AUT University, reveals 45% of respondents are concerned companies and corporations are violating their privacy online.
Some 33% held the same concerns about government.
The executive director of the World Internet Project New Zealand research project, AUT University senior lecturer Philippa Smith, says media coverage of online privacy issues could explain why respondents reported greater concerns over corporates accessing their data.
“People may also be getting a sense of that intrusion on their online privacy when they suddenly get an email or a pop-up on their browser selling them something which is close to what they might have been searching or reading about on the internet.”
InternetNZ deputy chief executive Andrew Cushen tells NBR Radio the survey aims to perpetuate a unique and powerful set of data about how the internet is being used in New Zealand.
The survey also shows 95% of users were surfing or browsing the web (with 81% reporting this as a daily activity), 91% were looking for news, 85% were visiting social networking sites and 55% had paid taxes, fines or licences online in the past year.
“The survey reveals a unique insight into what the internet means for New Zealand,” Mr Cushen says.
Follow NBR on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram for the latest news and free on-demand audio from NBR Radio.
Staff Reporter
Thu, 14 Apr 2016
Thu, 14 Apr 2016
© All content copyright NBR. Do not reproduce in any form without permission, even if you have a paid subscription.
Corporates seen as bigger privacy threat than government
57313