Nigerians’ perceptions of personal data protection and privacy

The influx of E-commerce into Nigeria has resulted in individuals shopping online and sharing personal information about themselves and their family, friends and colleagues. A survey and interviews were conducted to gain an initial understanding of attitudes about privacy among Nigerians and their understanding of E-commerce data protection and privacy. It was found that Nigerians are generally aware of the dangers of online data theft, but their concern was focussed almost exclusively on the theft of financial data. They did not trust the government to protect their data with any effective legislation or law enforcement, but they were happy to submit their financial information through a bank’s website. However, it was found that Nigerians had little concern about other, non-financial information, which leaves the population vulnerable to the theft of other forms of personal and private data.