Global Citizens & Data Privacy: A Malaysian Perspective

Key findings:

• 50% of Malaysians are unsure what companies do with their personal information
• Malaysians values privacy and compensation more than the benefits of sharing personal data where 64% respond favourably to get paid or rewarded for providing information
• The majority of Malaysians (66%) feel that measures to reassure consumers about sharing personal data are impactful
• Malaysians are generally very trusting with companies and the government's use of personal data especially: (1) healthcare providers (57%) and financial service companies (60%)

This latest global study from IPSOS shows that world citizens are in the dark about how their personal information is being used and most people do not trust how organizations use their personal data.

Personal Data Usage

- The lack of knowledge of where and how personal data is used is similar in Malaysia, where half (50%) are unsure what companies do with their personal information

- But on the contrary, half of Malaysians (51%) also agree that allowing companies to use the data they collect about you is something that helps provide the best products, services and information that meets people's needs.

Compensation or Reward for Sharing Information

- On average, the global public values privacy and compensation more than the benefits of sharing personal data

- This is a similar scenario in Malaysia, where almost two thirds of Malaysians tend to respond favourably to: (1) transparency about what they will do with the information (66%) and (2) to get paid or rewarded for providing information (64%)

- Consumers in emerging countries however, tend to value benefits from letting companies use personal data about them; western countries tend not to

The Importance of Secure Data

- Consumers worldwide ask for transparency and assurances of confidentiality and security when they provide personal data to companies and organizations.

- The majority of Malaysians (66%) feel that measures to reassure consumers about sharing personal data are impactful and the top reasons of consumers for giving an organization access to one's personal data are: (1) When the risks involved are understood clearly (55%) and (2) When the products and services meet the person's needs (67%)

Trust Factor in Companies and the Government

- Most people globally do not trust how organizations use their personal data

- This is however not the case in Malaysia, where the trust factor of the Malaysian public in companies and the government is higher than the global average (36%) where 1 in 2 Malaysians (48%) are likely to trust organizations with their personal information

- Malaysians are generally very trusting with companies and the government's use of personal data especially: (1) healthcare providers (57%) and financial service companies (60%)

Arun Menon, Managing Director of IPSOS Malaysia:-

"The latest IPSOS-World Economic Forum: Global Citizens & Data Privacy study shows that almost half of Malaysians (45%) are unsure what companies do with their personal information but are generally very trusting with companies and the government's use of personal data where the Malaysian average (48%) is higher than the global average (36%)"

Reference point:

These are the findings of an Ipsos Global Advisor survey on attitudes toward data privacy in partnership with the World Economic Forum. In total, 18,813 interviews were conducted October 26 - November 9, 2018 among adults aged 18-64

The survey was conducted in 26 countries around the world via the Ipsos Online Panel system. The countries reporting herein are Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United States of America. Note that some of the questions were not asked in all 26 countries.