Privacy Awareness Week 2025: Privacy is Everyone’s Business

Privacy Awareness Week (PAW) runs from Monday 16 June to Sunday 22 June, and it’s all about helping people understand how to protect their personal information.

This year’s theme is ‘Privacy – it’s everyone’s business’, and it reminds us that we all have a part to play in keeping our data safe.

Led by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), PAW brings together state and territory privacy regulators and the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities to encourage stronger privacy practices across the community.

Australians care about privacy

The OAIC’s latest research into Australian community attitudes to privacy found:

• 90% of Australians understand why it’s important to protect their personal information
• 62% say privacy is a major concern in their life
• 32% don’t always feel in control of their personal information
• 57% care about privacy but don’t know how to protect it
• 47% were told their information was involved in a data breach in the past year
• 92% want businesses to do more to keep their data safe
• 84% want more say in how their information is collected and used

How you can protect your privacy

There are easy steps you can take to protect your personal information:

• Use strong and different passwords for each of your accounts
• Turn on two-factor authentication where you can
• Think before you share personal information on social media
• Check and update your privacy settings often
• Be careful when using public Wi-Fi, and use a VPN if possible
• Only share your personal details when you trust how they’ll be used

Everyone has a role in protecting privacy. Whether you’re at home, at work, or online, taking small steps can make a big difference.