New Research Report From CIRA Shares Canadian Perspective on Fake News, Privacy, Cybersecurity and Internet Access

From the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA):

[The] Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) [recently] released a research report displaying Canadians’ opinions and experiences regarding the internet and fake news, privacy, cybersecurity and access. Based on a survey of over 1,200 Canadian internet users in December 2018, the report highlights areas of concern, including apprehension around the upcoming Canadian federal election. The report also indicates what Canadians want from industry, the Canadian government and citizens themselves to create a better internet in Canada.

CIRA’s report offers several recommendations to improve Canada’s internet, including enhanced investments by the Canadian government, actions around cybersecurity and privacy that Canadian businesses can take right away and opportunities for Canadian citizens to improve the internet they rely on every day.

Key Findings

Of Canadian internet users:

Social media and fake news

75% say they come across fake news at least sometimes

57% have been taken in by a fake news item.

70% are concerned that fake news could impact the outcome of the next federal election.

Privacy

72% are willing to disclose some or a little personal information in exchange for a valuable/convenient service.

87% are concerned that businesses with access to customers’ personal data willingly share it with third parties without consent.

86% believe it is important that government data, including the personal information of Canadians, be stored and transmitted in Canada only.

Cybersecurity

87% are concerned about a potential cyberattack against organizations with access to their personal data.

Only 19% say they would continue to do business with an organization if their personal data were exposed in a cyberattack.

78% are concerned about the potential security threats related to the Internet of Things.

Access

69% believe the high cost of internet services, including for mobile data, is hurting Canada’s economy and prosperity.

83% believe that universal access to high-speed internet is important for Canada’s overall economic growth and prosperity.

70% agree that the Canadian government should be doing more to support public access to high-speed internet.

Internet governance

75% say they only know a little or hardly anything about the topic of global control and regulation of the internet.

50% are concerned that the global internet could fracture into regional blocks that adopt very different regulatory principles and policies

66% support the principles of net neutrality.

Direct to Full Text Report (pages; PDF)

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