You Might be Interested In

This post, by co-op student Erin Siksay, is cross-posted from our youth blog.

I searched myself online the other day and came up with a profile I had created some years ago, complete with picture and date of birth, name, and e-mail address. So many websites require at least some personal information in order to view exclusive content or enjoy the services provided by the website, it gets difficult keeping track of all the websites I’ve signed up for. Inevitably, some end up being neglected or forgotten. Then, years later, they pop up when I’m feeling bored (and perhaps narcissistic) and searching myself online.

I had the website e-mail me my username and password so I could delete the account (and all of its revealing information) from their server so it wouldn’t appear in the search engine queue. (Luckily I’ve used the same e-mail address for many years). If you find yourself in the same situation but with an unknown or expired e-mail address, you can always write to the moderators or developers of the website and request that your profile be taken down or removed.

You may be selective with what information you put into an online profile, but with lots of profiles online it can become difficult to keep track of exactly what personal information is available on the web. One website might require a postal code, another a birthdate. Pieced together, these separate profiles can reveal a lot about the user. This combined profile can then be used for targeted marketing or even more malicious purposes.

Make sure your profile doesn’t come back to haunt you.

Once again, students from the Encounters with Canada program have selected the winners of our annual student video contest! Here are the winners for our 2009 competition:

The three top video artists in the live action category were:

1^st place: Jeffery Burge, Vanessa Caicedo, Alexandra Georgaras, Gareth Imrie and Fiona Sauder of Canterbury High School in Ottawa, Ontario, with a video titled “Think Before You Click”. They win a $100 gift card and an iPod Touch.

2^nd place: David Borish and Mory Kaba of Glebe Collegiate Institute in Ottawa, Ontario, with a video titled “Friend or Foe”. They win a $250 gift card.

3^rd place: Jennifer Paul from Brampton, Ontario, with a video titled “Too Good to be True”. She wins a $150 gift card.

The three top video artists in the animation category were:

1^st place: Tyler Ford and Matthew Kerr of Osgoode Township High School in Metcalfe, Ontario, with a video titled “Privacy: Think Before You Click”. They win a $100 gift card and an iPod Touch.

2^nd place: Rebecca Kartzmart and Emily Patterson of Osgoode Township High School in Metcalfe, Ontario, with a video titled “Carol the Carrot”. They win a $250 gift card.

3^rd place: Scott Piper of Osgoode Township High School in Metcalfe, Ontario, with a video titled “Privacy Matters”. He wins a $150 gift card.

The three top video artists in the French video category were:

1^st place: Benjamin Dion-Weiss of l’École secondaire publique De La Salle in Ottawa, Ontario, with a video titled “Le réseautage social d’après le Comte Hackula”. He wins a $100 gift card and an iPod Touch.

2^nd place: Stéphanie Lemieux and Emily Vendette of l’École secondaire catholique Embrun in Embrun, Ontario, with a video titled “Le Journal de Lisa”. They win a $250 gift card.

3^rd place: Cosmo Darwin of l’École secondaire publique De La Salle in Ottawa, Ontario, with a video titled “Trouvée & Perdu”. He wins a $150 gift card.

The three top video artists in the Junior category were:

1^st place: Mackenzie Giffen, Chris Johnstone, Chris Nattrass, Curtis Sookhoo and Gabriel Zingle of F.R. Haythorne Junior High in Sherwood Park, Alberta, with a video titled “The Spanish Lottery”. They win a $100 gift card and an iPod Touch.

2^nd place: Trevor Aiello, Connor Bergersen, Chad Bullock and Lochlan Thomson of F.R. Haythorne Junior High in Sherwood Park, Alberta, with a video titled “A lesson In Privacy”. They win a $250 gift card.

3^rd place: Matthew Craner, Scott Deshane, Madison Gilchrist, Joe Matishak and Graeme Wyatt of F.R. Haythorne Junior High in Sherwood Park, Alberta, with a video titled “The Phone Number Test”. They win a $150 gift card.

We also recognized seven teachers for their enthusiastic participation in the contest. They were:

• Crystal Getschel, of F.R. Haythorne Junior High in Sherwood Park, Alberta, with 26 entries.
• Majed Mattar, of Osgoode Township High School in Metcalfe, Ontario, with 21 entries.
• Professor Kaduri, of Tanenbaum Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto, Ontario, with 15 entries.
• Grant Holmes, of École secondaire publique De La Salle, Ottawa, Ontario, with 11 entries.
• Carol Shaw, of Woodstock Collegiate Institute, Woodstock, Ontario, with 8 entries.
• Kevin Shae, of Sir Robert Borden High School, Ottawa, Ontario with 6 entries.
• Stephen Willcock, of Canterbury High School, Ottawa, Ontario, with 5 entries.

Each teacher will receive a $250 gift certificate at Indigo Books and Music to use for personal use or for the school they represent.

The videos will be posted as soon as possible to our youth site. They will also be available on our YouTube channel.

We were thrilled with the number and quality of submissions we received for our second competition. We’ll be launching the 2010 contest in May!

The combination of microblogging services like Twitter and location-aware social networking games on your mobile device like Foursquare is like the Red Bull and vodka of the internet – it’s one big party until your great-aunt’s end table is smashed.

Twitter, of course, enables its users to post short 140-character messages. Social networking games like Foursquare encourage players to post their precise location information in order to gain points – the more locations you “check in”, the more points you gain. These “check-ins” can also be automatically posted to a player’s Twitter or Facebook account.

A couple of Dutch developers have created a site called PleaseRobMe to point out the dangers of posting so much information on your whereabouts.

Don’t get us wrong, we love the whole location-aware thing. The information is very interesting and can be used to create some pretty awesome applications….  The danger is publicly telling people where you are. This is because it leaves one place you’re definitely not… home. So here we are; on one end we’re leaving lights on when we’re going on a holiday, and on the other we’re telling everybody on the internet we’re not home.

The creators of PleaseRobMe point out that users could be putting others around them at risk as well. Foursquare players, for example might also be posting location information for places they frequent…like the homes of friends and family.

The site – which took developers four hours to build – is a witty little reminder to consider the possible repurcussions of what we post online.

On Data Privacy 2010 we’d like to take a moment to remind everyone that is the responsibility of both individuals and companies to make sure that personal information is safe.

If you own a company, or work for a big one: in the past, you may have had to ensure that your customers’ name and address information (and in some cases credit card and billing information) were safe. Now, many of you are providing technology and tools for your customers to put increasing amounts of personal information online. Does your company have the systems in place to safeguard this information? Do you give your customers the tools and options to control how their information is used?

If you are a user of new and cool technology: in the past a telephone was a telephone, a video game was a video game, a stuffed toy was simply that – a stuffed toy. Today, more and more toys and handheld tools come with the ability to go online. Do you understand how to enjoy your toys and gadgets without putting your personal information at risk?

If you are a parent or guardian, teacher, coach or caregiver: do the young people in your life understand how to use all these new toys and gadgets while keeping their personal information safe? Our office has recently made youth privacy a key priority. Today, we have posted some new resources to the Parents & Teachers section of our youth web site. The resources include information on 12 privacy issues (such as the importance of privacy settings and knowing who your friends are on social networking sites), along with ideas for generating discussion about each issue with young people. You can use these resources to start discussion about personal privacy and the importance of thinking about what you post on the Internet.

Regardless of which group you are in – if you need any information about how to keep personal information secure, visit our web sites – priv.gc.ca and youthprivacy.ca.

Do your loved ones have toys on their wish lists this holiday? A stuffed animal for a little one… a cell phone or a camera for a teen? These days, these toys and gadgets are more than they used to be. Just a few years ago a stuffed animal was something to cuddle with and a phone was, well, just a phone! Now, many stuffed animals come with codes that allow kids to register them online so that they can play games, feed and care for them, and even chat and play with other kids. And many cellphones are phones, computers and cameras, all in one.

And while such toys and gadgets can be fun, we want people to enjoy them without putting their privacy and personal information at risk.

Here are our tips for protecting your privacy as you and your loved ones enjoy your new gadgets and toys. For parents especially:

Understand new toys and their capabilities – It is important to understand the capabilities of new toys and how your children will use them. Speak with your kids about how they will use the toy and, where appropriate, agree on guidelines and limits.

Pay attention to privacy settings and parental controls – Privacy settings on social networking sites control what people see about you. Only allow your friends to see your page, your posts, your photos and your applications. Parents, if you depend on parental control software that is installed on your desktop, remember that. Those controls won’t be in place on new mobile devices.

Remember, with Wi-Fi, children can access the Internet from anywhere in the house – And if their new toy/gadget has Internet capabilities they can also use it to access the Internet from locations and networks outside your supervision and control.

Here are our tips for protecting your privacy as you and your loved ones enjoy your new gadgets and toys. For everyone:

Think before you click – The Internet is a public arena, and photos and comments you post are permanent. Even if you delete them from a web page, they could continue to exist in archived pages, in your computer’s cache or on the computers of other Internet users who may have copied them. If you don’t want certain people to see something, now or in the future, don’t post it!

Pick and protect the perfect password – Your information is only as safe as your passwords. Use different passwords for different systems; make sure they are strong (eight characters or more and a variety of letters or numbers); never share them with anybody; and change them regularly.

Know your friends – Online, you can’t be 100 per cent sure who you are talking to. Don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know in real life.

Protect your identity – Identity theft is a growing problem and the Internet is the least private of spaces. Don’t post or e-mail personal details such as your social insurance number, phone number, home address or birth date.

Be careful on online gaming sites – Online gaming sites are hotbeds of people accessing personal information. Be aware that ill-intentioned people can use information from your profile to establish accounts in your name, or use your stolen identity to access your existing accounts.

Be wary of e-mail or instant messages from unknown people – Don’t open online messages that seem odd or are from someone you don’t know. They could contain a virus or let a hacker gain access to your computer.

Have a happy holiday and enjoy all your new toys!

Are you a good digital citizen?

It seems that almost daily we hear of people experiencing negative consequences when the information they post online is seen by an unexpected audience, whether it be a prospective employer, an insurance company, or a law enforcement agency.  Inevitably, such people express surprise and feel deceived by the technology.  Through public education, organizations like the OPC are trying to ensure that people are provided with the resources they need to make informed decisions about managing their personal information online.

Many such tools were on display at the recent FOSI annual conference.  Those from commonsense media and YouTube stood out for their simplicity and straight forward message. The conference theme “Building a Culture of Responsibility: From Online Safety to Digital Citizenship” strongly resonates with us at the OPC.

We see privacy, or the right to control one’s personal information, as a fundamental part of the larger issue of digital citizenship.  In other words, exercising our individual right to privacy is one part of being an ethical and engaged citizen of the web.

The web provides many opportunities for communicating with friends and family, accessing educational resources, stimulating community involvement, and many other participatory activities.

As increasing numbers of Canadians rush to take advantage of online services and integrate new technologies into our lives, however, we need to step back and consider how we conduct ourselves online and manage our personal information in this rapidly evolving environment.

There is a role for every user in the evolution of the web — especially if it is to develop into a space that respects the values, ethics and rights we take for granted in the offline world.

Government, industry and educators must continue public education activities to increase awareness of the potential pitfalls of using technology and to teach individuals how to better protect themselves online.  Regulators have a role in identifying and enforcing standards. Industry must take concrete and early steps to build privacy into their technology.

For individuals, the responsibilities are clear cut.  Take the time to find out how the websites you visit manage your personal information and decide whether this site is appropriate for you. Often, the type of service being offered is a big clue – a site for sharing personal status updates will be specifically designed to broadcast your personal information. If you want to use a particular site but don’t like some of their practices, be vocal about it. Chances are other people agree with you and together you will have a stronger voice in pushing for change.

By taking an active role in protecting your privacy, you will be helping to shape the internet to reflect your values and ethics. That’s what being a good digital citizen is all about.

It’s also the 20^th anniversary of the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention of the Rights of the Child. A significant milestone, this made privacy a basic human right for everyone under the age of eighteen.

Privacy is a right that all young people should enjoy, no matter where they live. With today’s world being so different than it was 20 years ago, this is something they may not think much about. Today, young people are videotaped by security cameras almost everywhere they go. They are asked for their postal code or driver’s license number when they buy a pair of jeans. They can instant message, update their statuses, download music, talk to friends on Facebook and play games on their computers with people all around the world. Twenty years ago, if someone wanted to get in touch with you they had to phone you or send you a postcard!

It is so easy for young people to overlook their privacy rights and why they’re so important. And it’s easy to forget about the risks that are out there if they don’t protect their personal information. These risks can range from nuisance (all those marketers who are looking for people to target their ads to) to serious (from the people on the Internet who are looking for identities to steal, to the predators who are looking for victims). Many of them also tend to forget that when they post comments, photos and videos, online, that information is public and permanent and almost impossible to remove.

So today, on National Child Day, take a minute and remind the young people in your life, in your community, that privacy is their right. Have them look around youthprivacy.ca and click through the pages. Encourage them to find information about how they can have fun online while protecting this valuable basic human right.

Is there a young person in your life who is fixated on social network and video-sharing sites, online games and gadgets such as iPods and mobile phones? If so, you may want to take notice of the Media Literacy Week, which is taking place this week, from November 2 to 6, 2009.

This year’s theme is Media Literacy in the Digital Age, emphasizing the multiple levels of literacy that young people today need to access, evaluate, repurpose, create and distribute media content if they are to successfully navigate their digital media world.

Young people face many new challenges in this environment, but they also need to know how to protect their privacy while they are online and how to stay safe when using social networks.

This week, take a moment to familiarize yourself with all the great tools that are out there for you to share with your kids, students or other young people in your life. Here is a short list that we’ve compiled for you:

From This Office

If you haven’t already done this, spend some time on our site for young people, parents and educators, youthprivacy.ca. It’s full of tips about how young people can enjoy digital tools while staying safe and protecting their privacy. We are also featuring a video contest for 12-18-year-olds and a youth blog which discusses privacy issues that young people face. The site also features two teaching lessons on privacy (for grades 7 to 9 and 9 to 12) that were developed in partnership with the Media Awareness Network.

The Media Awareness Network

Their web site is full of valuable tools, including a Passport to the Internet, an online tutorial to help students in grades four to eight develop the critical thinking skills they need to navigate the web in a secure and ethical manner; and the Media Education: Make it Happen! program, which is a series of free resources to help educators understand and facilitate media literacy in their classrooms.

Our international partners face the same challenges and are working on various projects in order to reach youth. Check out the youth privacy web sites of some of our international partners:

Australia’s Office of the Privacy Commissioner – Whether you never think about privacy or always do, they have created a publication for you. They will tell you what some of the privacy issues are that you might face, some of the pitfalls to avoid, and who to turn to for help if your privacy has been affected.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data of Hong Kong has developed an interactive web site that aims to provide access to information regarding the execution of the Ordinance. It offers unparalleled user-friendly functions and a Privacy Zone for Youngsters that includes a few games.

The Information Commissioner Office of the UK has a youth site that is aimed at helping them protect their personal information.

YOU decide… an ingenious campaign put together by the Norwegian Board of Technology, the Norwegian Data Inspectorate and the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training. Their videos, web site and guidebooks are produced by kids, for kids.

Our Commissioner, Jennifer Stoddart is worried that maybe they don’t. After conducting an investigation into Facebook’s privacy policies, we’re now turning our attention to youth as the school year gets underway. Because while they may be savvy about using social media, many of them still may not know how to create a secure online identity.

If you’re listening to the radio today you may hear a message from our office that we created especially for young Canadians. In case you miss it, we’ve provided clips from it for you here . The gist of it is that many young people are still jeopardizing their safety, and possibly compromising their futures, by sharing photos and information – some of it inappropriate – with people they don’t know… people who may not be who they say they are.

Young people – everyone, really –  need to always be aware that the personal information that they post online could be used in a variety of shady ways, from embarrassing them, to stealing their identities – even for finding out where they live, go to school, or their plans for the weekend. Our radio message urges young people (and their parents and teachers) to regularly visit youthprivacy.ca for information on safely using the Internet and social networking sites.

The message also reminds everyone that we’re inviting all young people, between the ages of 12 and 18, to participate in our second annual video contest. All they have to do is create a one- to two-minute public service announcement on the importance of privacy by Friday, December 11th and they could win some really cool prizes!

Is there an identifiable combination of social, economic, legal, technological or psychological factors that contribute to how Canadians make decisions about their privacy?

While an easy answer to this question is impossible, conversations at last week’s Computers, Freedom and Privacy 2009 Conference did offer some insight into how individuals perceive and protect their personal privacy.

Mike Shaver, drawing upon his experience working with privacy pioneer Zero Knowledge, noted that people at the time were interested in privacy protection, but did not want to deal with the financial cost, the complexity of privacy tools, or the degradation of the speed on their network.

In his experience, individuals “don’t enhance their privacy. They prevent it from being degraded and they limit the damage.”

In fact, people can act against their own interest, even when they are aware of the cost. As Shaver pointed out, we still continue to buy Starbucks frappucinos, even if they may violate our stated goals of losing weight and cutting down on sweets.

Lauren Gelman, of the Stanford Center for Internet and Society, argued that a more pragmatic approach to privacy advocacy may be necessary from time to time.

In developing What App?, a tool to help consumers judge the privacy protections behind third party applications, Gelman admitted that the project was “willing to sacrifice highly technical information for information that is useful for my mom and informing her decisions as a result.”

A different panel touched upon literacy skills – and whether online users were equipped to interpret the range of written, visual and audio information presented to them online.

Past research by Valerie Steeves and Jacqueline Burkell has confirmed that literacy skills can affect how users assess their exposure to privacy risks – especially if online privacy policies are presented as cumbersome documents, hidden in a thicket of legal terminology.

Is the solution a more elaborate but considered opt-in process, like that put in place by Google in order to subscribe to its PowerMeter application?

Or is reality more accurately reflected in the announcement last week that Dairy Queen will offer free or discounted ice cream treats to members of their new loyalty program – a program which depends upon an RFID chip stuck to each customer’s mobile phone?

It seems clear that privacy advocates will have to spend more time looking at the social sciences (economics, psychology, sociology) while evaluating novel approaches to privacy protection – approaches that attempt to influence individuals to make more privacy-positive choices in their day-to-day lives.