Pandemic made islanders more cautious about data sharing

Tuesday 23 August 2022

The pandemic has led islanders to becoming more aware of how much their personal data is shared, according to an anonymous survey conducted by Jersey's Information Commissioner.

Launched earlier this year, the ‘It’s All About You’ survey sought to explore islanders' opinions and views on personal data privacy for the second consecutive year.

It generated nearly 10% more responses than the previous survey and showed that islanders have a greater understanding of their rights under local legislation with 42% of respondents stating they had either a very good or good understanding of their rights compared to 35% who responded in 2021.

This year, the survey featured a new question asking whether the covid-19 pandemic had raised individuals’ awareness of how much their personal information is being moved around or shared. 54% of respondents said they were made more aware or slightly more aware of who might have access to their personal information.

Pictured: Islanders are more concerned about their genetic and health data being compromised.

The results also show islanders are placing increasing importance on securing their personal data, which the JOIC says suggests personal data privacy is becoming more instinctual. When asked how important it was for companies to keep their data safe and secure; in 2021 81% of respondents said it was very important and that response has now risen to 88%. 

Meanwhile, there was a 12% increase in the number of respondents stating they would be very concerned if their genetic data was compromised, while health data saw a 13% increase. In fact, when asked how concerned they would be about any kind of special category data, which includes health data, genetic information and political views, being compromised (including nationality, criminal records, date of birth and sexual orientation), all results revealed an increase from the previous year’s survey results.

Finally, respondents were asked how familiar they were with the role of the JOIC. 21% stated they were very aware compared to just 14% in 2021, a 50% increase which, according to the JOIC, suggests the local community has a far greater understanding of the role that the independent regulator plays in promoting protection of their personal data and supporting organisations to follow good data protection practices.

Pictured: Anne King, Operations Director at the Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner.

“The results gleaned from this year’s survey highlight a heightened awareness of the importance of data protection and data privacy,” Anne King, Operations Director at the Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner, said.

“We’re delighted to see that our hard work engaging with the local community is leading to an increased awareness of our role and a greater understanding of individuals’ rights as detailed in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018. It’s encouraging to see that islanders are keen to learn more about data protection and are calling upon organisations to ensure they have good governance around the protection of their personal data.”