As people spend more and more time online, the need to be diligent in protecting online privacy and personal information to avoid identity theft and fraud becomes more urgent.
Over this past holiday season, many Ontarians received or purchased new Smartphones and tablets; consequently, many have spent a significant amount of time adding new applications, but too few have taken the time to consider the privacy risks.
“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,” said Dr. Ann Cavoukian, Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner.
“I encourage everyone to make a commitment to protecting themselves by incorporating these five resolutions into their online habits,” Cavoukian said. She recommends five simple New Year’s resolutions.
Regularly review social network privacy settings
Always understand what is being shared online and who can see it. Take the time to carefully review the privacy settings for each social network and application. For example, it has become quite common for many applications to add time and geo-location data to photos, thereby allowing anyone to track an internet user’ location.
Remember – these settings can change at any time without consent, so the onus is on, the user, to be aware.
Think before you click
Once something is posted 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 for those who proactively consider what they are posting online. Everyone should 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 being shared.
Always consider the five W’s of personal information
Whether are purchasing a product online or joining a new social network, minimize the amount of personal information given out. Always evaluate if the website or application really needs so much information to provide 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 the information be stored? When will the information be used and when will it be discarded?
Make 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$).
Carefully read the fine print
It is imperative to understand the terms and conditions of any application or program before clicking agree. Buried within this information can be permissions for companies to share an individual’s personal information and online habits without their knowledge.
The Information and Privacy Commissioner is appointed by, and reports to, the Ontario Legislative Assembly, and is independent of the government of the day.
The commissioner’s mandate includes overseeing the access and privacy provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, as well as the Personal Health Information Protection Act, which applies to both public and private sector health information custodians. The Commissioner’s mandate also includes helping to educate the public about access and privacy issues.
