Most Kiwis worried about sharing private data

Andrew Weaver

Nearly 80 percent of New Zealanders are worried about how their identity is managed online, Digital Identity NZ executive director Andrew Weaver will tell the inaugural New Zealand digital identity conference in Wellington next month. 

A total of 85 percent of people simply do not know what organisations are doing with personal information they handle, and Kiwis are concerned about who has access to the private details and which business and people may be making money from it. 

David Birch, a London expert in digital identity issues, is the key speaker at the October 16 summit, organised by NZTech and Conferenz. 

Digital Identities are at the heart of enabling better customer journeys with organisations of all sizes and the event will discuss how Kiwis can ensure they maintain transparency and control over their own data.

Leading chief technology officers, chief customer officers, chief digital officers and industry specialists are among those attending the summit. 

Weaver says only one in 20 New Zealanders feels confident about their rights when dealing with organisations online. For those who don’t feel confident, 58 percent say they don’t know how to protect themselves. 

“The figures, from our commissioned survey this year, are more disturbing for those who do have an understanding of security and privacy concerns, with 68 percent of people saying that they find it hard to protect themselves online because they do not have the necessary tools to do so. 

“These sentiments are further highlighted when people are asked if they like the idea of being more in control of their digital identity, with 93 percent of people saying yes.” 

New Zealanders consider personal information or data for things like a driver’s licence, passport, transactions, contact details, names and addresses, employment details, online browsing, marital status, loyalty card usage, demographic details, photos and videos uploaded, date from apps, social media activity and posts and heritage and ancestry. 

The Digital Identity NZ survey found that 89 percent of people were anxious about their data being shared with a third party without their permission. And 88 percent of people were worried their credit cards would be stolen and their personal data leaked or hacked online. 

Weaver says Digital Identity NZ wants to see people in control and ownership of their digital identity, as personal information and data is rightly owned by the individual. 

He wants to enable people to participate in the economy and society more easily with confidence and choice – this is about ease of access, as well as transparency and control. 

Digital Identity NZ is part of the NZTech alliance and is seeking to improve how digital identity is perceived and managed. 

Weaver says Kiwis want to be able to get things done online more easily. Trust and relationships are incredibly important and people need to trust businesses, such as banks, if they gain access to personal details. 

“Banks hold a position of trust and millions of New Zealanders have a relationship with at least one bank.”