Attitudes towards Privacy, Surveillance and Security in Australia
Paul Haskell-Dowland
Professor of Cyber Security Practice at Edith Cowan University
An ECU research project is investigating Australians’ attitudes towards surveillance and privacy in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Project lead and PhD candidate Leah Shanley said Australians seemed indifferent or were struggling to grasp how privacy was affected by advances in technology.
"I am interested in understanding more about current public attitudes towards privacy, surveillance and security, particularly in light of COVID-19 response measures. This study will examine how the pandemic has changed perspectives on the right to privacy, as determined by law, enabled by technology and shaped by human concerns."
Mrs Shanley said the balance between privacy of individuals and security of the state has been a long-standing debate among academics, security proponents and privacy advocates.
"With more than 30,000 Australians stranded overseas, State and Federal Governments are struggling to implement a workable pathway for citizens to return home. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has encouraged experts to develop innovative solutions such as wearable devices and smart phone apps to support the return of overseas travellers, and this has led to questions about privacy."
An ECU pilot study earlier this year showed 74 per cent of respondents were concerned about their privacy, particularly relating to the monitoring of behaviour.
"We found respondents were very worried about control of their data, with 91 per cent of respondents expressing concern about information sharing with foreign governments and storage of information overseas."
The ECU project team is now expanding on the preliminary study to a national survey.
The expanded survey will analyse how Australians have responded to the emergence of surveillance technology such as contact tracing apps, wearable devices, and in some states, pop-up CCTV monitoring, created to support the national security effort in responding to the recent health crisis.
This survey can be completed online. Please note that participants must be an Australian citizen 18 years or over
Youth Worker
6 个月Supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths Kmart now have cameras filming our faces at check out
Academic, Edith Cowan University
4 年Yes, hopefully we will have some results early next year, the preliminary data suggest the more knowledge people gain, the less they want surveillance, Depending on the question and context surrounding the question, generally, people want both, security to protect against unforeseen events and privacy of the person. The more invasive the technology, the less likely it is supported. The National survey will consolidate some of these early findings.
Managing Director at Moncrieff
4 年Will be interesting to see the findings of this research