Survey reveals Māori respondents consistently show higher concern about privacy

In its media release, the office noted that the survey findings also reflected the effects of technology and demonstrated that New Zealanders would consider making changes if they perceived threats to their privacy rights. 

“New Zealanders are great adopters of technology, but this survey suggests that we’re increasing[ly] becoming aware there’s also a price to pay through the loss of control over our personal information and we’re increasing[ly] worried about the implications of that,” Webster said in the media release. 

Survey statistics

According to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, among New Zealanders responding to its annual privacy survey: 

• 67 percent were concerned about children’s privacy, including through social media use 
• 63 percent were worried about how social media companies were managing their personal information 
• 62 percent were uneasy about government agencies or businesses using AI in decision-making 
• 82 percent preferred to have more control and choice over collecting and using their personal information 
• 67 percent would think about switching to a new service provider if the current one had poor privacy and security practices 
• 66 percent considered the protection of their personal information a major concern 
• 65 percent supported increasing the use of surveillance technologies to reduce theft from businesses, while 64 percent approved of such use to increase personal safety 

The office’s overview of the survey results revealed these insights: 

• The public is gradually becoming more aware of the Privacy Act 2020 
• The public strongly supported expanding the privacy commissioner’s ability to impose penalties, among other powers 
• Unease about facial recognition technology went down among the general public 
• Māori respondents were consistently more concerned, especially about facial recognition and public institutions’ data use 
• Māori respondents were also less supportive of formal audits 
• Reports of personal privacy breaches rose, particularly among Māori 

The office announced the release of its annual privacy survey of New Zealanders to mark this year’s Privacy Week, which ran from 12–16 May.