Canadians are increasingly concerned about the dangers that new technologies pose on the protection of their personal information.
According to a telephone survey conducted on 1,513 people and published by the Privacy Commissioner, most Canadians do not have the proper tools and knowledge to protect their personal information. This has an impact on consumer choices.
Thus, 56% of respondents do not believe they have a good understanding of how new technologies impact their privacy, while seven in ten Canadians say they feel that their day-to-day privacy is less protected now as opposed to ten years ago.
These results give weight to reports published by the QMI Agency in February, showing that privacy protection is the primary concern of Canadians.
More than half of the Commissioner’s survey respondents are very concerned about publishing information about their location (55%) and contact information (51%). The majority (55%) said they had decided not to install or remove an application because of the amount of personal information requested.
At least 68% of Canadians say they have chosen not to use a website or a service because they do not feel comfortable with its privacy policy.
“Canadians are beginning to understand that the information they post online can say a lot about them and be used for purposes they were not intended”, said the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Jennifer Stoddart. “They wonder if they really know what happens to their personal information once it is divulged.”