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Online privacy is a generational thing

Announcement posted by Principals Pty Ltd 20 Jan 2011

Principals publishes the second in their Digital Pulse research series. The quarterly report reviews online attitudes and behaviours, based upon a nationally representative sample of internet users.
This quarter the study explores the extent to which Australians feel comfortable sharing different kinds of information over the internet.

The study discovered that Australians of all ages are quite open to sharing certain kinds of information online, like their personal interests and opinions of brands, but are reluctant to share others, particularly personal identification numbers.

Wayde Bull, Planning Director at Principals, said "It's striking that young web users are the most wary of sharing personal identifiers online, at odds with the stereotype of this generation recklessly sharing personal information, oblivious to the dangers. Young web users clearly grasp the very real risks of identity theft, cyber bullying and stalking. While little, if anything, is kept private from tagged friends, the Facebook generation are increasingly protective of their identities outside their social circle."

The full report can be found at http://www.principals.com.au/digitalpulse/