Norwegians the most sceptical about sharing personal data

(Fornebu, 30 November 2015) According to a new study examining attitudes across ten countries towards sharing data, Norwegians are the most sceptical about their sharing personal data. Telenor is now clarifying its guidelines for the processing of customer data.

‘Personal data is like money in the worldwide digital economy. It’s the digital source of asset that must be protected. At the same time, it’s dead capital if it can't be used. To manage these valuable assets in an appropriate manner, we must have full transparency,’ says Berit Svendsen, CEO of Telenor Norway.

In the study conducted by Telenor Research, researchers asked consumers in ten countries about their attitudes towards sharing personal data in return for receiving more personally customised goods from service providers. In Asia, southern and eastern Europe, people were positive about sharing their personal data - while Norwegians were more restrictive.

Discussing privacy
According to the survey, six out of ten Norwegians believe that too much data is collected, and seven out of ten are afraid that data is used for purposes other than those intended. The results are to be presented and discussed at Telenor’s annual Status Technology Norway conference at Fornebu on Monday. Among the delegates participating in the discussion will be Storting politician Sveinung Rotevatn (Liberal Party) and Kim Ellertsen from the Norwegian Data Protection Authority.

Floods, landslides, traffic accidents
‘It's quite clear that Norwegians are more sceptical about sharing personal date than respondents in the other countries in the study. At the same time, six out of ten participants see the value of services that are only available as a result of consumers sharing data,’ says Bjørn Taale Sandberg. He heads up Telenor Research, which put together the comprehensive study.

‘Nowadays, technology has become so modern that we could use location data to warn people who are in a given area of extreme weather conditions or the danger of landslides. We can envision a situation in which you might receive a message on your mobile about a traffic accident or jam on your regular commuting route. When we talk about why it can be beneficial to say yes to sharing personal data, it’s this kind of service we may be able to deliver back to our customers,’ says Svendsen.

Tailored assistance
In order for service providers to be able to develop services like this, they must know their consumer well - and this is done through collecting and analysing different types of data.

The survey shows that in Norway half of us are positive about personalised services, while just three in ten consumers are willing to share their personal data.

‘There is a clear disparity between the desire to use personalised services and the will to make data available. The survey indicates that this is connected to a feeling of having no oversight of who is collecting data and what it is being used for,’ says Sandberg.

Telenor clarifying guidelines
‘The study unquestionably shows that Norwegians want clear evidence that they are receiving better products and services in return for saying yes to sharing data. At the same time, as controllers of this data we must have clear guidelines in place to safeguard customers’ data and trust. We hope that the clarification of our guidelines will contribute to this,’ says Svendsen.

Telenor's privacy guidelines stipulate that customers’ personal data should always be protected. Consent should be obtained from the customer when the provider wishes to use data for more personal customisations. Telenor should also be open about how personal data is gathered and how information about you as a customer is used, as well as when the authorities request access to personal data pursuant to legislation.

Facts about the study
• Telenor Research conducted a questionnaire during April/May 2015 among 5100 consumers from ten countries in which Telenor operates: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Serbia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Pakistan, India, Thailand and Malaysia. 514 of the respondents were from Norway, of which half were Telenor customers.
In Norway, 5 out of 10 consumers believe that apps and Internet services should be customised to suit their needs and interests, while just 3 out of 10 people in Norway are willing to share their personal data.
• In Asia, 8 out of 10 consumers believe that apps and Internet services should be customised to suit their needs and interests. 7 out of 10 people in Asia are willing to share their personal data.
• In central and eastern Europe, 8 out of 10 consumers believe that apps and Internet services should be customised to suit their needs and interests. In this case, 4 out of 10 people responded that they are willing to share their personal data.
• Six out of ten people in Norway and Europe responded that they are pragmatists, i.e. they are concerned about their personal data, but are still willing to make their personal data available in return for receiving certain benefits.
• In Asia, nearly 9 out of 10 people are pragmatists and are willing to make their personal data available for use in return for certain benefits.
• 38 per cent of Norwegian respondents stated that they are more willing to share data in return for personalised customer services, 31 per cent are willing to share their data to receive personalised apps and Internet services, and just 15 per cent want to share their data to receive personalised advertising.

The study will be presented in greater detail during the Status Technology Norway seminar at Fornebu on Monday 30 November.

For further information, please contact:
Kristine Meek, PR Manager at Telenor Norway
Tel.: +47 918 85 405, Email: kristine.meek@telenor.com