{"id":151824,"date":"2024-01-23T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-23T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interac1.wpengine.com\/?post_type=content&p=151824"},"modified":"2025-07-31T10:18:36","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T14:18:36","slug":"canadians-and-data-privacy-solving-the-trust-gap","status":"publish","type":"content","link":"https:\/\/stage.interac.ca\/en\/content\/ideas\/canadians-and-data-privacy-solving-the-trust-gap\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadians and data privacy: Solving the trust gap"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Digital transactions are central to Canadians\u2019 daily lives. But is familiarity leading to trust in the entities and technologies they\u2019re interacting with? How comfortable are Canadians about sharing their personal data?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to new research from Interac, while many Canadians are willing to share their personal data, they lack confidence and want greater control over how it\u2019s being protected and used. And with major advances in digital information sharing on the horizon, including the realization of a Canadian open banking framework, data sharing will become even more important \u2013 not only for organizations that handle customer data, but for the development of the digital economy as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can we let consumers know their privacy is being respected and their data kept secure? Any evolution in our digital ecosystem must be built in a way to ensure Canadians feel safe when transacting online. We\u2019ll explain why we at Interac believe building experiences that are rooted in choice and consent is critical for fostering trust in digital transactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But first, let\u2019s look at what we\u2019ve learned about the scale of the challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canadians\u2019 growing concerns around data privacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interac surveyed 1,500 Canadians in January 2024<\/a> to take the pulse of consumer confidence in data privacy and personal information management. The findings revealed that people have lost confidence in the privacy of their personal data. Nearly six in 10 Canadians (59 per cent) say they lack the confidence to protect their personal information, and an equal number say they can\u2019t clearly consent to how their personal information is being shared because they don\u2019t understand the terms and conditions they\u2019re agreeing to. Two-thirds say they believe companies are sharing their personal information without their consent (66 per cent).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All in all, 77 per cent feel their personal data is more exposed than ever before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our results align with those of a 2023 survey by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada<\/a> in that they both reveal what we would call a significant \u201ctrust gap\u201d\u2014 a discrepancy between Canadians\u2019 digital behaviours and their level of comfort. That poll found that 93 per cent of Canadians expressed some level of concern about the protection of their privacy when transacting digitally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Familiarity with digital transactions that involve data sharing is not making Canadians more comfortable with them. As it stands now, consumers often have to contend with making trade-offs. For example, they use social media accounts as a quick way to sign into new services (versus creating a new account), even if they may be uneasy about doing so. Interac research from 2023<\/a> observed that while 58 per cent of Canadians polled say they use their social media accounts to log in to other online services, only 11 per cent trust these accounts to store their personal information. In other words, people seem to be taking actions that may not make them feel safe, for expediency\u2019s sake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the status quo brings risks for businesses and other organizations, too: More than half of the people polled in 2023 (53 per cent)<\/a> hold organizations primarily responsible for protecting their personal information, and 69 per cent would consider them accountable in the event of a data breach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenge is clear: Most Canadians surveyed feel their data is overexposed and lack confidence in their ability to protect it. <\/em>They have concerns around data sharing that aren\u2019t being met, and there are indications that their misgivings are growing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n