According to a recent study, 81% of Georgian citizens view personal data protection as important

2017-07-26 13:32:20

Personal data protection is important for every 8 respondents out of 10 - reveal the findings of the nationwide research carried out in order to examine public perception about human rights and access to justice in Georgia.

Findings of the study are based on the results of around 5,000 face-to-face interviews, 14 focus groups and 28 in-depth interviews, and covers several important topics regarding the protection of human rights, including personal data protection. The document explores public perceptions towards the importance of personal data protection, as well as the activities of the Inspector’s Office.

According to the study, two-thirds of the respondents considers that the state shall respect their personal data and shall not violate the terms of their collection, storage and disclosure, even for the purposes of ensuring security. Unlawful collection, storage or disclosure of personal data is regarded as a breach of human rights by 85% of the respondents, while 81% consider that unlawful treatment of personal data may cause problems for the citizens at a certain stage of their lives.

Furthermore, 52% of the respondents revealed that they examine whether or not a contract contains a clause on the usage of personal data, while 56% state that they express their interest in the purposes of data collection. Approximately every third respondent uses confidentiality parameters and acknowledges their importance in terms of personal data protection.

54% of the population positively evaluates the activities of the Personal Data Protection Inspector. 60% of the respondents who have addressed the Office, evaluate the service they were provided as “good” or “very good”.

Despite the fact that it has not been long since the personal data protection became the part of human rights protection, the level of awareness is quite high. Awareness regarding the Inspector’s Office is also high” - reads the document.

The research was commissioned by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and was carried out by Georgian polling agency ACT.