Protecting Your Online Privacy

Did you know here in Ontario our Information and Privacy Commissioner, Ann Cavoukian, Ph.D., has been a longtime advocate for privacy - she's even developed a concept back in the 90s known as:

"Privacy by Design”, which asserts that “the future of privacy cannot be assured solely by compliance with legislation and regulatory frameworks; rather, privacy assurance must ideally become an organization’s default mode of operation.”

 Just this past December, 2012 -

 the Information and Privacy Commissioner authored a new report – Operationalizing Privacy by Design:A Guide to Implementing Strong Privacy Practices – which examines organizations from a wide range of sectors including telecommunications, technology, healthcare, transportation, and energy and their experiences implementing PbD.

Here are some Important Key Tips provided in  IT in Canada's Pledge to Protect Online Privacy article -

The Information and Privacy Commissioner recommends these five simple resolutions to keep your privacy safe in 2013:

1. I will review my social network privacy settings regularly.

Always understand what you are sharing online and who can see it. Take the time to carefully review the privacy settings for each social network and application you are using. For example, it has become quite common for many applications to add time and geo-location data to photos, thereby allowing anyone to track your location. Remember - these settings can change at any time without your consent, so the onus is on you, the user, to be aware.

2. I will think before I click!

Once you post online, it is very difficult to erase. Numerous new companies have appeared with the sole intent of "cleaning up" online histories.  This is completely unnecessary if you proactively consider what you are posting online. Consider what a future employer or a scholarship funder might think of a post. Carefully evaluate what an identity thief might be able to do with the information you are sharing.

3. I will always consider the five W's of personal information.

Whether you are purchasing a product online or joining a new social network, minimize the amount of personal information you give out. Always evaluate if the website or application really needs so much information to provide you with a service. When divulging information, think about the following five W's: Who wants it and who will have access to it? Why do they want it? What will it be used for? Where will your information be stored? When will your information be used and when will it be discarded?

4. I will make my passwords unique.With numerous programs circulating to break passwords, it is important to keep them difficult to decrypt, but also easy to remember. One straight-forward solution is to use the same word in two languages (i.e. home and maison).  To make it even more difficult to break, use the phonetic spelling of one of the words. The addition of numbers, symbols, and capital letters will also help to ensure strong protection (i.e. Home7Mayzon$).

5. I will carefully read the fine print.

It is imperative that you understand the terms and conditions of any application or program before clicking agree. Buried within this information can be permissions for companies to share your personal information and online habits without your knowledge. (We know this is a tough one - we're asking for a lot!)

"Through web browsing, posting on social networks, and the downloading of applications, personal information about individuals can be easily collected and stored indefinitely, making protecting our online privacy a growing concern," Cavoukian said. "I encourage everyone to make a commitment to protecting themselves by incorporating these five resolutions into their online habits."

The quoted (italic) text in this post is sourced from: Source: http://secur-it.itincanada.ca/index.php?id=18706&cid=395

You can also learn more and hear some of Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner's talks via her  YouTube channel: privacybydesign

Here is Dr. Ann Cavoukian's announcement of her latest paper: Operationalizaing Privacy by Design.