Privacy Governance Online: Privacy Policy Practices on New Zealand Websites

Addressing privacy issues and concerns are important for organisations when interacting with online customers, and customers are increasingly demanding better transparency about how their personal information could be collected and used. Many organisations are informing users about their privacy practices through an online privacy notice, policy or statement. These privacy notices should reflect the privacy governance practices of the website owners as such notices are the only way online customers can be informed about the privacy practices of the organisation. This study presents a definition of privacy governance, and discusses what good governance would be in the online context. The online privacy practices of organisations in New Zealand are examined using a content analysis questionnaire, with the aim to further understand how organisations in New Zealand through their websites are informing users about their privacy practices, and whether privacy practices of the organizations align with the privacy laws set by the New Zealand government. It was found that while many New Zealand organisations are posting privacy notices, many are failing to provide a good indication of their privacy governance by omitting best practices and legislative requirements.