South Africans trust the internet less and less

South Africans’ trust in the internet has declined since 2019 amid concerns over privacy and protection of personal data.

This is according to an international survey conducted by Ipsos with 14,519 internet users across 20 countries, including SA.

The survey found online users want better control over how their personal data is collected, used and sold.

Only six in 10 users on average across the 20 countries said they trust the internet. This is down 11 percentage points since a similar survey in 2019.

Privacy was a major concern: 79% expressed worry about their online privacy. Many felt internet governance was lacking.

Amid privacy concerns and rapidly declining trust, internet users have called for regulations to strengthen online privacy. Respondents indicated the most effective policies to improve trust in the internet should include:

• protection of user privacy (65%);
• protection of users’ personal data (65%);
• the establishment of standards detailing how internet companies collect and make use of user data (62%); and
• the establishment of policies allowing users to control their own data (62%).

SA and Kenya were the two African countries included in the study.

In Kenya, seven in every 10 expressed trust in the internet. South Africans were no different to others surveyed across the globe about their trust of the internet, with 63% agreeing they trusted the internet.

“In line with findings in other countries of shrinking trust in the internet, this showed a decline of 9 percentage points since 2019.”

Citizens’ concerns about online privacy ranked high, with 93% in Kenya and 88% in SA voicing concerns — considerably higher than the 79% country average. In Kenya there has been an increase of 49 percentage points in this indicator since 2019.

On whether South Africans and Kenyans thought the internet was effectively governed, almost six in 10 in both countries — Kenya (59%) and South Africa (57%) — agreed.

“Kenyans were more positive than South Africans about new government policies to improve internet trust, but it must be kept in mind that overall internet access in Kenya is only 30%,” said Mari Harris of Ipsos.

“Internet penetration is much higher in SA, where seven in 10 had access to the internet in 2020. This is growing rapidly and Ipsos proprietary figures indicate internet access is about 77%.

Harris said: “Most Kenyans (89%) and South Africans (75%) agreed policies to protect internet user privacy would improve trust in the internet. In Kenya and SA, citizens are looking to government policies to protect them on the internet, but a fine balance needs to be maintained between freedom of speech and stricter government policies so as not to suppress or deny freedom of information access and flow in our democracies.” 

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