OTTAWA – As more Canadians live their lives on-line, the Privacy Commissioner is cautioning them to take greater responsibility for securing their privacy and thinking twice about what they post on the Internet.
In the Commission’s annual report to Parliament, tabled Tuesday, Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart noted that many people have been fired, missed out on job interviews and academic opportunities, and been suspended from school for instant messages, wall posts and other types of on-line correspondence they mistakenly thought were private conversations with friends.
"Such openness can lead to greater creativity, literacy, networking and social engagement. But putting so much of their personal information out into the open can also…leave an enduring trail of embarrassing moments that could haunt them in future," Commissioner Stoddart said in a statement.
The Commissioner’s 2008 Annual Report to Parliament on the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act highlights the issue of youth privacy. It also looks at 2008 privacy complaint investigations; technology and privacy issues; and details the Commission’s efforts to encourage the development of international privacy standards.
“As Canada’s privacy guardian, it is our role to create awareness of privacy risks, show people how to address those risks, and make it easy for them to make informed decisions," Stoddart added.
