KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — Malaysians are not doing enough to protect their personal data, a study by global market research firm Ipsos released today revealed.

The survey shows that only 44 per cent of those polled have some knowledge of online data privacy.

This is despite the same study showing that almost all respondents (94 per cent) believe that protecting their own personal data is their own responsibility.

Ipsos Malaysia’s public affairs director Arun Menon said despite knowing about the importance of protecting personal data, many Malaysians do not take the necessary precautions.

"The study shows Malaysians do care about data privacy, and view themselves as having shared responsibility to safeguard their own personal data,” he said in a statement.

"However, they are doing less to protect themselves, as 61 per cent use the same passwords and PINs for multiple accounts and surprisingly, 31 per cent would store these in locations that they believe are safe!”

The study also revealed that some 76 per cent of Malaysians polled trusted banking and financial institutions and believed that these institutions should be responsible for the protection of personal data.

Meanwhile, 83 per cent of respondents said the onus was on the government.

"The government bodies and private organisations alike, must continue to educate citizens and their customers on the importance of data protection and ensure that the rights of the people are protected,” Arun said.

The report also suggested that East Malaysians, those with SPM-level education or lower, and those between 45 to 74 years of age were least knowledgeable when it comes to protecting their data.

The survey polled 996 consumers aged 18 to 74 face-to-face across Malaysia between December 1 and 9 last year.