Survey: most did not know their Pipa rights before Act came in
More than 60 per cent of surveyed residents were unaware of what their rights were under the Personal Information Protection Act 2016 just prior to its inception, a report revealed.
An Omnibus Survey conducted on behalf of the Privacy Commissioner of Bermuda was presented in the House of Assembly as part of the Privacy Commissioner’s Pre-Implementation Annual Report on Friday showing that 39 per cent were aware of their rights compared to 61 who weren’t.
The survey involved 400 residents who were interviewed over the phone between November 27 and December 9 last year.
Last January, the office launched the educational campaign Road to Pipa to assist organisations to become compliant with the Act and it said work would continue on educating the public this year. There was also a major public engagement effort that included information sessions and media campaigns.
For the survey, interviewers asked Bermudians about the privacy rights they were aware of.
A quarter of participants mentioned the security and confidentiality of personal information and data, and 27 per cent listed consent before sharing personal information as a right.
More than one in ten of those asked were aware of their rights to request deletion of personal information and to access personal information — 15 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.
A quarter of those asked were unsure about their specific rights under the Act despite saying they were aware of their rights generally.
Residents aged between 18 and 34 years old were more likely to cite their rights to request the deletion of information or access personal information.
Those who were not aware of their rights under Pipa were asked how they wanted to receive their information.
One in five people requested their information by mail, 43 per cent asked to receive it by e-mail and about 15 per cent asked to receive it by newspaper.
The sample size was described as accurate within plus or minus 4.9 per cent in 19 out of 20 samples.
Angie Farquharson, the Deputy Privacy Commissioner, wrote in the report that the commission would provide more guidance on the Act this year.
She said the office will further develop children’s programmes to educate children and parents on digital safety.
Ms Farquharson said the office had prepared other organisations on how to abide by the Act.
She said organisations that used personal information should determine what information was necessary and advise people accordingly via their privacy notices.
Ms Farquharson added: “The evolving use of technology in Bermuda can present challenges in the privacy landscape on our island.
“Nevertheless, the rights of individuals under Pipa are unchanging and the office will uphold these rights stated in Pipa.
“These rights strengthen safety and protection of personal information.
“We will be the champions of individuals to control the use of their personal information.”
The report said there were 16,790 unique visitors to the www.privacy.bm website over 32,293 site sessions in 2024-2025 compared to 26,889 in 2023-2024.
• To read the report in full, see Related Media
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