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I see a bunch of people have said good and smart things about the 2020 Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy survey that came out today from @OAICgov https://www.oaic.gov.au/engage-with-us/research/australian-community-attitudes-to-privacy-survey-2020-landing-page/2020-australian-community-attitudes-to-privacy-survey/
I'll do my #tljr of it shortly, but here are some other people you should read also:
@MsLods said smart things here: https://twitter.com/MsLods/status/1308952154170822656
More smart and good thoughts from @TimdeSousa here: https://twitter.com/TimdeSousa/status/1308977539432566785
And yes, stop the stupid derp that "people don't care about privacy" because that's obvious bullshit. https://twitter.com/samfloreani/status/1308947476200652802
Anyone who claims "people don't care about privacy" is wrong and they are lying to you. Tell them to fuck off.
Anyhoo, let's look at the evidence. This 2020 report on attitudes to privacy is the latest in a series. There are surveys from 2017, 2013, 2007, 2004, and 2001. We have 20 years of evidence that people care about privacy: https://www.oaic.gov.au/engage-with-us/research/ #tljr
So when people say "herpaderp social media spies on you all the time, you already lack privacy" that's because governments have allowed these organisations to violate our privacy for 20 years in direct opposition to our wishes. #tljr
Here's a fun chart about how uncomfortable people are with digital platforms tracking them. Remember, these are the same platforms that Australian media orgs think should share this data with them, and pay them for the privilege. #tljr
"Most Australians [say] if they have to receive any ads, they’d prefer that they are targeted to them (48%)."
Big IF there, and largely people want the ads they have to see to not be stupid shit. Surprise! #tljr
Big IF there, and largely people want the ads they have to see to not be stupid shit. Surprise! #tljr
If I have to get hit over the head with a mallet, I'd prefer it didn't hurt very much. #tljr
Compare and contrast the 48% who would prefer targeted ads with "55% are uncomfortable with a business creating profiles about consumers based on data collected about them."
Guess how you target ads at people? #tljr
Guess how you target ads at people? #tljr
"The majority of Australians are more likely to be generally comfortable with other practices, such as law enforcement using facial recognition and video surveillance to identify suspects and a government body using surveillance for public safety." #tljr
It does rather hinge on who you consider "suspect" and what "public safety" means.
It's always some 'other' over there. Not me. I'm never a suspect. #tljr
It's always some 'other' over there. Not me. I'm never a suspect. #tljr
"More than 4 in 5 Australians (84%) consider supplying information to an organisation for a specific purpose and the organisation using it for another purpose to be misuse."
Our laws do not reflect this, though. #tljr
Our laws do not reflect this, though. #tljr
"Seventy-nine percent of Australians consider an organisation inferring information about them (for example, sexual orientation, mental health, political views) based on what they do online to be misuse."
*waves at the Services Australia social media monitoring team* #tljr
*waves at the Services Australia social media monitoring team* #tljr
"Australians are just as likely to feel an organisation revealing their information to other customers is a misuse (83%) as an organisation revealing their information to other organisations (82%)." #tljr
Pretty consistent across the board that all of these things (that happen all the time) are misuse, but again, this is not reflected in current legislation. #tljr
In fact, there is a concerted push to make it legal to do all of these things more. I had my photo taken for a driver license over 10 years ago, for example, and the Victorian government has decided to use that photo in a face surveillance database without my consent. #tljr
Centrelink/Services Australia is working hard to avoid consequences for using personal information in ways that caused harm, loss, or distress to people with #robodebt. #tljr
"Forty-one percent of Australians believe that sending information overseas is one of the biggest privacy risks people face today." #tljr
Australians' concern about overseas data transfers has been stable for 13+ years, and our governments have done bugger all to address it. #tljr
Australians want to protect their data, but it's too hard to do so. This is a market failure that requires government intervention to address. #tljr
We already have product safety legislation that could be applied, if loss of privacy was considered a safety issue. #tljr
"Almost a quarter (23%) of Australians rate their levels of knowledge about privacy as excellent or very good, whereas 40% rate their knowledge as fair to poor."
Challenging to reconcile this with the answers given in the survey. #tljr
Challenging to reconcile this with the answers given in the survey. #tljr
"I don't know what I'm doing, but I care about it a lot" I suppose? #tljr
Aha! This question has been explored. Yes, people care a lot, and understand why, but don't feel they know how to protect themselves. #tljr
29% of people claim they read a privacy policy in full! My people! There are so many more of you than I imagined! #tljr
56% often or always check that a website is secure before providing personal information. 51% clear browsing and search history. 46% often or always adjust privacy settings on a social networking website, 44% turn off GPS or location sharing on a mobile device. #tljr
So Australians not only care about their privacy, they are working pretty damn hard to try to protect it despite an aggressively privacy-hostile environment. #tljr
Government failure on privacy is that much more stark, given this evidence. #tljr
"Younger Australians are more likely to adjust privacy settings on social network websites [and] are more likely to provide false information." Legends! #tljr
Since 2017, a bunch of people have given up on trying various mitigations and have just started refusing to provide info or outright lying. That's what you'd expect if the mitigations aren't working well. #tljr
"Almost 9 in 10 Australians (87%) want more control and choice over the collection and use of their personal information" so one wonders why our politicians don't want to give it to us? #tljr
"The majority of Australians (58%) don’t understand what businesses do with the information they collect about them."
Informed consent: what even is it? #tljr
Informed consent: what even is it? #tljr
"Two-thirds (64%) of Australians are unaware that they can request access to their personal information from businesses and government agencies."
Privacy Act is working well, then.
#tljr
Privacy Act is working well, then.
#tljr
"Australians consider the social media industry the most untrustworthy in how they protect or use their personal information" so you can see why government agencies are so keen to turn themselves into Facebook. #tljr
"Since 2007 [… t]rust in Federal Government departments is down 14%, with a steady decline in trust over the past 13 years."
Fantastic. Great move. Well done everyone. #tljr
Fantastic. Great move. Well done everyone. #tljr
"Only 7% of Australians could name the Privacy Act as the main law that promotes and protects the privacy of individuals in Australia on an unprompted basis." #tljr
"Australians have a limited understanding of which businesses are covered by the Privacy Act." It's hard to see this as anything other than abject failure, really. #tljr
This table is really important. It highlights the massive gap between what people think the Privacy Act does and what it actually does. #tljr
"Almost three-quarters of Australians feel that each of the 4exempt organisation types should be required to protect personal information in the same ways that government and larger businesses are required to." #tljr
This highlights that when people find out what the actual situation is with privacy protection, they want it to change, because it doesn't do what they think it should do. #tljr
"The vast majority (83%) of Australians would like the government to do more to protect the privacy of their data."
And yet… they are doing the opposite. #tljr
And yet… they are doing the opposite. #tljr
The vast majority of Australians want a lot of what the GDPR provides for those in the EU. And why wouldn't they? These all sound good to me. #tljr
The work has already been largely done on a tort of serious breach of privacy. Just get it done. #tljr https://www.alrc.gov.au/publication/serious-invasions-of-privacy-in-the-digital-era-dp-80/4-a-new-tort-in-a-new-commonwealth-act/summary-138/
Australians think young kids, teenagers, the elderly, and those with an intellectual disability should have additional privacy protections compared to everyone else.
Many are surprised this isn't already the case, in my experience. #tljr
Many are surprised this isn't already the case, in my experience. #tljr
"The main reasons why Australians don’t read privacy policies include their length and complexity" which is why the "notice and consent" model for privacy is broken and wrong. #tljr
You shouldn't need to be able to comprehend a long and complex legal document in order to have a basic level of safety in our society. That's how it is for the food you buy, the clothes you wear, and the products you buy. Why not for the services you use online? #tljr
Only 23% of Australians think their location information is well protected or very well protected by law. #tljr
"Two-thirds (66%) of Australians are reluctant to provide biometric information to a business, organisation or government agency" and yet government is stampeding towards requiring biometric information for all kinds of things. #tljr
Australians trust government more than private business with biometric info, but it's very context sensitive. #tljr
"There is a strong belief (84% agree) that Australians have a right to know if a decision affecting them is made using AI technology."
I'd like to know what people think "AI technology" actually is. #tljr
I'd like to know what people think "AI technology" actually is. #tljr
People want explainable decision-making. #tljr
Most people (~80%) think human review of decisions is important, even if it costs the organisation money, and they also think it's important that a human is responsible for any decisions made by AI. #tljr
This is true now. If a dog decides to bite someone, their human handler/owner is held responsible.
Computers are less intelligent than even the stupidest labrador and aren't as cute.
#tljr
Computers are less intelligent than even the stupidest labrador and aren't as cute.
#tljr
Parents care a lot about the online privacy of their kids. #tljr
"While parents are concerned about their children’s data privacy, the majority (62%) feel that they are in control of their child/children’s data privacy and only 12% don’t think they have control."
They're in for a rude shock. #tljr
They're in for a rude shock. #tljr
Of those parents who aren't doing more, the main reason is they don't know how to do more. #tljr
Parents broadly support a phased approach to teaching their kids how to take responsibility for their own privacy. Unsurprising, really, that they don't want to throw their 5 year olds to the wolves. #tljr
People are broadly (60%) supportive of making some privacy concessions to combat Covid-19 for the greater good. #tljr
But "75% of Australians think Covid-19 doesn't excuse business or government from meeting their usual obligations under privacy laws."
Well yeah. There are privacy-preserving ways to do most things, if you want to. But you have to want to try.
Well yeah. There are privacy-preserving ways to do most things, if you want to. But you have to want to try.
Overall, people are more concerned about their privacy as a result of Covid-19. I put it to you that this is an entirely rational response. #tljr
Change in privacy risk perception thanks to Covid-19: #tljr
