Privacy doesn’t have to cost us great online services

By Andrew Black, Managing Director ConnectID and Sujeet Rana, Chief Digital Officer NAB

For years, we accepted an implicit trade-off online: free or easy access to online services in exchange for our data or attention. Whether it was creating a social media profile or booking a hotel, convenience came first, and privacy last. The assumption was that if we wanted seamless – or free – services, we had to give up control over our information.

But the tide has turned. High-profile data breaches from international and local companies, an explosion of online scams, and major social media platforms’ misuse of personal data have shaken public confidence. More Australians now understand that protecting their personal information is essential.

What’s changed is not just public sentiment but the rules and systems themselves. Australia has overhauled its approach to digital safety. From the Digital ID Act to the Scam-Safe Accord, the legislative and regulatory foundations are now in place to support privacy-preserving, secure digital services.

ConnectID, part of Australian Payments Plus, is one of the organizations supporting this transformation. The digital identity solution was the first non-government identity exchange to be accredited by the Australian Government, and is backed by major banks such as NAB, with a common interest in enabling Australians to reduce their digital footprint and hand back control.

When you add government initiatives, digital identities are rapidly becoming an integral part of how we operate online, eliminating the idea that privacy needs to be compromised.

This change means a social media platform could verify whether a user is over a certain age without collecting and storing sensitive information, like date of birth. Or it could let renters confirm their eligibility to apply for properties without having to share bank statements. As a result, digital identity can significantly minimize the volume of critical personal data we need to share online.

Protecting the safety of personal information is critical in today’s digital world. Digital identity solutions like ConnectID help reduce the amount of sensitive data people need to share – minimizing their exposure to issues like identity theft when things go wrong.

By giving Australians more control over their personal information, we’re not just making it easier for people to verify their identity – we’re doing so in a secure way that helps them protect their information and privacy.

Privacy doesn’t have to be a compromise. With the right systems and partnerships, Australia is showing it can be the standard—by design, by default, and by example.

Article Topics

Australia  |  connectID  |  data privacy  |  data protection  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  regulation