As part of Privacy Awareness Week, eBay.com.au commissioned a survey of its users about their attitudes towards privacy and how it affects their actions online. The survey was conducted in March 2012 and is comprised of a representative sample of 700 Australians who have visited eBay in the past 12 months.

The results of the survey were used as a report titled “Privacy and the Internet” authored by the Centre for Internet Safety at the University of Canberra.

Some of the key points of the survey included:

• 85% of online Australians believe data breach notification should be mandatory for business
• The financial sector is most trusted on privacy (42%), followed by government and the eCommerce sectors
• Australians nominated identity theft (86%) and loss of financial data (83%) as their areas of greatest privacy concern.
• Social media is the least trusted industry on privacy (1%)
• Overall, women feel more secure than men online, and younger people (18-29 years old) feel more secure than older people (50+ years old)

94% of Australian eBay users rated eBay’s privacy practices as an important-very important contributor to their decision to use eBay as a service.  97% of respondents rated privacy as an important to very important contributor to their decision to buy and sell online (60% very important) overall.

People rated identity theft (86%) and loss of financial data (83%) as their areas of greatest privacy concern.  They were least concerned about social media (42%).

The report was also referenced by the Privacy Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim during a business breakfast for Privacy Awareness Week.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner provides the following privacy tips which include: check your online privacy settings so you are aware of how your information is used; think about how much personal information you reveal, and read privacy policies to know how an organisation protects your information.