More and more Canadians say they are extremely concerned about the protection of their personal information and it is in Quebec that their proportion is the greatest.
According to a recent poll conducted for the federal privacy commissioner, 93% of Canadians are concerned about this, either slightly or greatly. The proportion who are extremely concerned (38%) has increased by 6 percentage points since 2020.
“As was the case in 2020, the level of concern was higher in Quebec and among people aged 35 and over,” reads the report of the results of the survey released this summer.
For example, 43% of respondents from Quebec indicated that they were extremely concerned about the protection of their privacy, compared to 29% of those from British Columbia.
Overall, 40% said they were more worried about this than before the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, 55% believe that there has been no change.
The probe was conducted from November to December among 1,500 residents of Canada. The telephone survey has a margin of error of 2.5%, 19 times out of 20.
Respondents who said they were knowledgeable about privacy rights or who indicated that they follow the news on this issue were “more likely to be extremely concerned about privacy,” it notes. -on in the report.
The fears of Canadians mainly concern the companies and organizations they distrust. As many as nine out of ten respondents reported that they believe their online activities are partially monitored by them. Just under half of respondents, 47%, believe that all or most of their online activities are monitored.
“This is an important message for private and public sector organizations. Resources devoted to the protection and promotion of privacy […] are wise investments in the security of Canadians and in their trust in organizations,” said the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Philippe Dufresne, in a recent press release.
Respondents are particularly concerned that social networks allow a detailed profiling of their interests through the personal information collected there. Nearly 90% of Canadians are concerned about this, either slightly or greatly. The proportion who say they are extremely concerned (44%) has increased by seven percentage points since 2020.
More than half of respondents (58%) said they believe the federal government respects their privacy.