Navigating the digital lives of Australians: challenges and solutions
The internet and its naming system is more than just a convenience - it's an essential part of our daily lives. This reality is confirmed by auDA's Digital Lives of Australians 2025 report, which found 99 per cent of Australians believe the internet provides value to their lives.
Given the internet’s critical role, understanding how we can improve its naming system for the benefit of all Australians is a key focus for auDA. To explore the report's findings, we hosted a webinar featuring auDA CEO Bruce Tonkin and Chandni Gupta, Deputy CEO of the Consumer Policy Research Centre. Here are our key takeaways.
Building trust in new technologies
Australians are constantly asked to provide sensitive documents like passports and driver's licenses to new providers, often with little thought for what happens to that data after they’ve shared it. But as Bruce pointed out, without a singular digital identity system or platform, Australians can end up having multiple digital identities for each online account which create a frustrating and risky cycle.
Digital Identity (Digital ID) is a technology, facilitated by accredited providers, that enables identity verification online without having to share sensitive documents such as passports. Australia has a range of Digital ID services available, however, according to our Digital Lives research, 31 per cent of Australians weren’t aware of Digital ID until they were surveyed.
While a Digital ID offers a more secure way to manage personal information, many Australians remain hesitant to adopt it and 71 per cent of those who don’t have Digital ID worry their information wouldn’t be secure. This indicates there’s more work to be done by government to bridge the trust gap among consumers to help them understand the usefulness of Digital IDs and feel confident in the security protections.
Our research also identified a trust gap when it comes to Artificial Intelligence (AI). While the majority of Australians (56 per cent) now use AI, many are still sceptical about the safeguards in place.
Chandni highlighted the clear demand for safeguards from Australians, with 64 per cent of survey respondents saying they would feel more comfortable if there were stronger regulatory safeguards for AI. She said that Australians want to know privacy laws are being updated to protect them and that regulators have the resources to enforce these rules:
“We need to look at it like ‘swimming between the flags’ as the eSafety Commissioner put it recently, in reference to other tech-based laws. This isn't about stopping people from using AI or making the most of the ocean. It's about setting clear, safe boundaries that allow people to navigate this new technology with confidence.”
This presents a role for policymakers and industry alike to bring AI regulation and practices in line with community expectations.
Busting a small business cyber security myth
A contradiction is revealed through the research, which shows the majority of Australians (over 80 per cent) believe cybercriminals are getting smarter, yet small business readiness is lacking. Only one in five small businesses have a cyber security policy or offer cyber security training for staff, and one-fifth do not spend anything on cyber security protections.
Bruce highlighted that many small businesses don’t believe they’re a target for cyber criminals - but this is a myth. All businesses operating online are vulnerable to attack with cybercriminals using automated technology to scan websites for vulnerabilities to exploit. If there’s a vulnerability, cybercriminals will automatically find it and seek to take advantage of it, regardless of a business's size.
Bruce and Chandni agreed that more should be done at an industry level to support small businesses with their cyber security, such as implementing Secure By Design principles, but there remains things small businesses can do to help boost their own cyber security. Bruce said:
“Small businesses often have physical security protections in place for their business but don’t enable the equivalent online security protections, such as multi-factor authentication. It's a bit like having a lock for a gate but choosing not to use it.”
Bruce also noted that auDA works to reduce instances of phishing and malicious registrations associated with .au domain names (which are most often the result of hacked websites with poor security) and helps impacted registrants improve their website security.
Closing the diversity gap
The research shows a gender imbalance in confidence and career aspirations when it comes to digital skills. Nearly three quarters (72 per cent) of women surveyed believe they lack the technical skills for a career in IT or tech, compared to 54 per cent of men. However, women are just one underrepresented group in STEM. To this, Chandni said:
“If we want tech to be accessible and inclusive for all, we need to ensure there are inclusive pathways designed for many, not just a select few. We have to be mindful that a narrow perspective is only going to deliver narrow solutions.”
Chandni noted that similar to the concept of Secure By Design, part of the answer may lie in a ‘diversity by design’ approach, requiring diverse input into product and service development.
Bruce added that companies in the tech sector need to consciously recruit to ensure they have diversity on their design teams, and that we as end users should take the opportunity to provide feedback on technology to help ensure it supports our needs.
You can read the full Digital Lives of Australians 2025 research report at: www.auda.org.au/DL25. A recording of the webinar is available on the auDA website.
Quotes have been edited for brevity and clarity.