Trust in government agencies to protect and use personal information has grown, a report reveals.

Published by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, the Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey shows that – between 2020 and 2026 – public trust has grown by a third, or about 33.3 per cent, from 51 per cent to 68 per cent.

Government agencies sit at number two in the top 12 of the most trusted organisations for data privacy – between financial institutions at three (59 per cent) and health services providers at number one (74 per cent).

Source: OAIC

“Trust in organisations to protect and use personal information varies markedly by sector, with strongest confidence in essential and public-facing services such as health, government and financial institutions,” says the report.

The OAIC report also shows Australians are becoming more selective about what personal information they share, generally limiting agreement to situations “where there is a clear purpose and a trusted context”.

“This cautious approach also extends to government data use, where Australians are more comfortable when information is used to deliver services or public benefit, but less accepting of practices that lack transparency, involve identifiable data, or are not clearly communicated, highlighting the importance of trust, purpose and control,” says the report.

However, while basic contact details– such as name and email – are the most widely accepted information to provide across sectors, when dealing with government agencies Australians are more willing to hand over sensitive data.

The OAIC findings also show Australians are more comfortable with cross-agency data use when it is framed around service delivery, improvement, safety, or de-identification. Australians are more likely to feel comfortable or very comfortable with:

sharing information with another agency to deliver a requested service – 64 per cent
to improve services – 59 per cent
to detect fraud or unlawful activity – 56 per cent
to be used in a de-identified form – 55 per cent

Australians are least comfortable with practices that reduce transparency or increasing identifiability with only 24 per cent comfortable with government agencies linking information in a way that identifies them personally and 72 per cent feeling uncomfortable when linking occurs without directly informing the individual at the time.

Australians are more comfortable when information is used to deliver services or public benefit.

Australians remain cautious about the use of AI, the survey shows, particularly where it involves personal information or impacts important decisions. “There is a strong expectation that clear safeguards, transparency and human oversight should be in place, and a growing demand for accountability in how AI systems operate,” says the report.

Expectations of responsible AI use vary by sector, organisational role and context, with higher expectations placed on public and essential service organisations. Indeed, Australians are most likely to expect responsible AI use from government agencies – 72 per cent.

Source: OAIC

Asked about biometric data, the survey shows respondents’ acceptance depends heavily on context, with greater comfort in situations “that offer clear personal or public benefit”, such as identity verification for use of government services.

When it comes to handling privacy complaints, Australians identify government agencies as handling privacy complaints reasonably fairly and effectively – 41 per cent.

Overall, the OAIC survey shows trust in agencies’ handling of personal information is higher than in 2020, “but it is conditional on disciplined stewardship, particularly where decisions affect rights and entitlements and where government uses AI”.

The post Trust in data privacy grows appeared first on Government News.

Government News

Message History

Delivery option(s)