New research suggests an overwhelming number of Australians are anxious about their privacy online as the COVID-19 pandemic prompted increased use of QR codes, e-shopping, social media and video conferencing.
The Consumer Policy Research Centre research shows 94 per cent of Australian consumers surveyed are uncomfortable with how their personal information is shared online and 88 per cent do not have a clear understanding of what is involved.
QR codes are one of the weapons used to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, but privacy experts say the information needs to be safeguarded.Credit:
The findings come a decade after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg declared “privacy is no longer the social norm”. However, Drew MacRae, policy and advocacy officer at the Financial Rights Legal Centre, said consumers’ expectations had shifted.
“Privacy is making a comeback,” he said. “People are slowly realising what is happening out there in the market and discovering that, when they click on the button to agree to some service, some app, or some website, there seems to be all this stuff happening to that data, and people are starting to see the results of it.”
