Privacy fears rise in New Zealand over AI, biometric data use

A new survey shows that for New Zealanders, concerns about biometric technology and children’s online safety are now common. As AI bowls into online life and technologies like facial recognition and facial age estimation make their way into the mainstream, these are no longer niche worries, but major social issues.

Topping the list is children’s privacy, including social media use. Seventy one percent of respondents to the government’s 2026 annual survey on privacy worry about how social media affects kids, further suggesting the country will pursue social media legislation in line with Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age Ban at some point in the near future.

Sixty-seven percent of New Zealanders are concerned about government agencies and businesses using AI to make decisions about people using personal data, and 65 percent worry about the management of personal information by social media companies.

“The increasing use of technology is leading more New Zealanders to ask questions about the amount of personal information being collected about them, what it’s being used for, and how it’s being kept safe from misuse,” says Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster in a release.

“Concerns about privacy in New Zealand are deepening and diversifying. Not only are more people concerned about their individual privacy than before, but a greater number are also saying that in the last few years they’ve become more concerned about privacy issues”.

“Recent events, such as large privacy breaches in the health sector, look to have dented people’s confidence, with 56 percent having concerns about the security of health information. That was up 10 percent, the most significant annual increase for any privacy issue we asked about.”

“So perhaps it is also not surprising that only 18 percent are ‘extremely’ confident or ‘very’ confident that New Zealand law adequately protects personal information, while one in three have little or no confidence at all,” the Commissioner says.

Among the least confident are Māori, who record “higher concern and greater sensitivity across almost every measure and show significantly lower trust in government agencies” and law enforcement.

Other data shows that 66 percent of respondents would consider changing service providers over poor privacy and security practices, while 64 percent want to know more about what businesses and government agencies can do with their personal information.

In general, trust remains low, with trust in government agencies highest at 31 percent, and overseas-based businesses at a mere 11 percent.

New Zealand’s Biometric Processing Privacy Code came into effect in November 2025.

Article Topics

biometric data  |  biometrics  |  children  |  data collection  |  data privacy  |  New Zealand  |  social media