Privacy is a growing concern for Australians, according to a new major survey released today by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), with 87% of respondents indicating they are more concerned about privacy than they were 5 years ago.
The Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey (ACAPS), conducted by the OAIC every 3 years, provides a comprehensive view of Australians’ privacy attitudes and experiences, including how recent events have impacted them.
Privacy woes are increasing as trust in AI is at rock bottom, with just 4% believing that AI companies are worthy of their trust. This highlights the work that sector needs to do to ensure the right frameworks are in place so that Australians will confidently embrace their services.
Launching the report at the Data Privacy & Consumer Protection Summit 2026, Australian Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind said, “Australians’ expectations about privacy continue to sharpen as the information ecosystem becomes more complex, data-intensive and difficult to navigate.”
“The 2026 ACAPS points to a community that places a high value on privacy, but does not consistently experience privacy protections as workable in practice. The survey’s findings mirror the rise in privacy complaints received by the OAIC – which have increased by 73% this financial year to date. Our efforts are delivering positive outcomes for the community, including speedier complaint timeframes, but community concern continues to grow at an alarming rate.”
“Trust is uneven across sectors, and wariness of emerging technologies is increasing, particularly in terms of fairness, accountability and the practical ability to exercise rights.”
“Australians want greater transparency, more proportionate collection of personal information, and a fairer go when using digital services.”
Key findings from the study are:
Greater confidence in privacy would increase use of digital services. Around two-thirds of Australians (68%) said they would be more likely to use digital services requiring personal information if they knew their data was handled fairly and responsibly.
Data collection can be acceptable under certain conditions (92%). Particularly where the purpose is clear (69%), consent or opt-in is available (68%), collection is limited to what is necessary (66%), and the ability to opt out of non-essential collection is available (61%).
Trust in AI (4%) and social media (3%) is minuscule. Trust has also fallen across insurance, telecommunications, technology, retail and real estate sectors while remaining highest for health service providers (74%) and Australian Government agencies (68%).
Very few people feel they get a fair go online. Only 1 in 10 respondents say organisations’ real-world practices are usually fair, while 35% say they are mostly or always unfair.
Organisations must get it right when privacy goes wrong. Almost 3 in 10 (29%) believe that none of the listed sectors handle privacy complaints fairly and effectively, and individuals who have nowhere else to turn come to the OAIC instead.
The OAIC also recently acknowledged the importance of this topic during Privacy Awareness Week 2026, with its theme ‘Trust is built here. In every privacy complaint. In every resolution’.
According to Commissioner Kind, the report’s findings are clear: “Australians demand transparency, both in understanding their privacy rights, how their information is used, and in embracing their right to access that information.
“Improving transparency will strengthen the community’s already active engagement with these systems and safeguard a healthy, informed and vibrant democracy.”
To read the full report, visit oaic.gov.au/acaps
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Background
Takeaways for individuals
- Understand and exercise your privacy rights.
- Treat your personal information as an asset. Only share it when necessary and only with organisations and people you trust, and never re-use passwords to minimise the potential impact of data breaches.
- Take action to manage and protect your privacy by adjusting privacy settings and reading privacy policies.
- Talk about privacy with friends, family, colleagues and children.
- Follow the OAIC on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube for privacy tips, news and resources.
Takeaways for organisations
- Manage personal information with the proper care:
- Don’t collect what you don’t need
- Store it securely
- Delete or deidentify when no longer needed
- Be transparent about AI and biometric data usage.
- Build privacy respecting choices into your products, services and communications, being clear and transparent about how you use personal information.
- Build trust by asking yourself if your practices are fair and reasonable, or in the best interests of your customers’ right to privacy.
- If you experience a data breach, quickly take steps to prevent customers suffering harm, report the breach and notify individuals if it is likely to result in serious harm, and consider making improvements to your privacy practices.
- Make good privacy and dispute resolution practices part of your point of difference, prioritising consent, fairness and accountability, thereby building trust in the community.
- Treat privacy complaints as an opportunity for process and product improvement, and strengthening of customer relationships.
About ACAPS
ACAPS is a longstanding study to evaluate the awareness, understanding, behaviour and concerns about privacy among Australians. The research was first conducted in 1990 and took on its current form in 2001. It provides cross-sectional information on Australians’ attitudes to key privacy issues, their experiences and perspectives around the use and protection of their personal information and the action they take to safeguard their privacy.
The OAIC commissioned the Social Research Centre to undertake ACAPS 2026. The survey was conducted in March 2026 with a nationally representative sample of 1,511 unique respondents aged 18 and older.
The last ACAPS survey was conducted in 2023.
