People are growing increasingly concerned about the erosion of personal privacy, especially with regards to the Internet, according to a survey published today by the Data Protection Commission.
Intrusive business practices, fears over Internet privacy, and a lack of information about government initiatives have contributed to what Data Protection Commissioner, Mr Joe Meade termed a "trust deficit" that could undermine the State's progress towards e-commerce.
"As the information society proceeds apace, public unease about new technologies needs to be firmly laid to rest. This survey shows that public anxieties are, if anything, on the increase," Mr Meade said.
The survey found that Irish people value their privacy highly, ranking it higher even than issues such as consumer protection, ethics in public office and equality in the workplace.
Only crime prevention was given a similarly high priority by the public.
Three in four adults believe that businesses regularlyencroach on their privacy.
Irish people share a similar mistrust of Government agencies - just over half of adults trust government agencies to deal with personal details in a fair and proper manner, with one in four expressing distrust.
People feel more insecure about the Internet than in the past.
Most people, 56 per cent, agreed with the statement, "If you use the Internet, your privacy is threatened", compared with 37 per cent in a 1997 survey.
The proportion who "strongly agree" with this statement hasdoubled from 14 per cent to 28 per cent.
Mr Meade said he would be redoubling his enforcement efforts this year to protect people's legal rights in this area.
"I would also urge the business community and the Government to build privacy-proofing initiatives into the way they interact with the public.
"Information, transparency and consent are the touchstones of good practice in both the public and private sectors, and the success of e-business will ultimately depend upon public credibility," he said.
The survey by Millward Brown IMS interviewed 1,203 peoplenationwide aged over 15 between September 24th and October, 4th, 2002. AFP