Australians want more control over how their information is used by businesses to contact them for marketing, according to new research released today by the ACMA.
The research found that in the 6 months leading up to the survey, 98% of Australians received some form of unsolicited communication and that more than 7 in 10 Australians would like more control over the communications they receive. Only one in 10 of those surveyed felt they always have control over how their information is used by business to sell or promote something.
Of Australians who asked a business to stop contacting them, 56% had trouble unsubscribing and 59% said they were still contacted after unsubscribing.
The research also showed that scam calls were the most prevalent type of unwanted communication received, with 86% of Australians reporting that they had a scam call in the 6 months before the survey and 4 in 10 Australians receiving them at least weekly.
Over the past 18 months, businesses have paid $1,899,120 in ACMA-issued infringement notices for breaking spam and telemarketing laws. The ACMA has also accepted 12 court-enforceable undertakings and issued 8 formal warnings to businesses.
In response to the research findings, the ACMA has updated and is re-launching a comprehensive online awareness campaign on how Australians can spot – and help stop – phone scams.
The Unsolicited communications in Australia: Consumer experience research 2021 interactive report is now available on the ACMA website.
