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IPC Privacy & Access by Design Winter 2012 | Operationalizing Privacy by Design: From Rhetoric to Reality
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Dec 19, 2012 |
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Privacy by Design is an actionable framework which has been put into practice by a growing number of organizations worldwide to make privacy the default setting. In order to further guide organizations through this potentially challenging process, I have authored a new paper, Operationalizing Privacy by Design: A Guide to Implementing Strong Privacy Practices, which provides a comprehensive overview of the partnerships and joint projects that I have engaged in to implement Privacy by Design by providing concrete and meaningful operational effect to its principles.
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Operationalizing Privacy by Design: From Rhetoric to Reality
Information management and its protection is imperative to any organization’s success, regardless of its size. Privacy breaches can have profound and long-term adverse consequences, including significant financial impact and damage to the reputation and brand of the organizations involved. The international standard of Privacy by Design is an actionable framework which has been put into practice by a growing number of organizations worldwide to make privacy the default setting. In order to further guide organizations through this potentially challenging process, I have authored a new paper, Operationalizing Privacy by Design: A Guide to Implementing Strong Privacy Practices, which illustrates many examples of the framework being put into action for enduring success.
This new paper provides an anthology of the experiences of organizations from a wide range of sectors including telecommunications, technology, health care, transportation, and energy. It provides a comprehensive overview of the partnerships and joint projects that I have engaged in to implement Privacy by Design by providing concrete and meaningful operational effect to its principles. By drawing on the perspectives of executives, engineers, risk managers, lawyers and analysts, as well as designers, computer scientists, and application developers, I outline step by step the necessary actions which an organization will need to take in order to ensure success in embedding privacy as the default.
While there is no "one-size-fits-all" solution to an organization’s specific requirements, comprehensive privacy programs are an essential component of building trusting, long-term relationships with existing stakeholders and attracting opportunities in the form of new ones. Too often, the issues of privacy and the protection of personal data are regarded as the domain of large corporations, but this is not the case. Every organization bears a responsibility to understand its relationship with personal information and strategize accordingly.
The end result of implementing these standards is a significant privacy payoff – a sustainable, business-friendly environment which provides superior protection from data leaks or breaches, in turn enabling a significant competitive advantage. Building privacy in – robustly and systematically – across the business ecosystem, yields many meaningful benefits, from cost savings to strengthening business relationships.
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While the Internet has brought many benefits to society and our everyday lives, there is also a dark side. Online social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter have become the new schoolyard for bullies. However, unlike bullies of days past, cyberbullies have the ability to hide behind a wall of anonymity and worst of all; their cruelty doesn’t stop when the school day ends. This new form of bullying can carry on twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The harm they inflict on their victims can, and has had, devastating effects. For some, it has led to the most tragic of consequences, teenagers who have taken their own lives because of cyberbullying.
Sadly, the unfortunate reality is that people give out far too much information about themselves online, believing that their information is private and they are safe behind their computer screen. They are not and you are not. As Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, I feel obligated to warn young people and urge them to take steps to protect themselves while they are online, especially on social networks. I urge them to consider the potential risks when interacting online and to use the strongest privacy settings available - only friend people you know in the real world and only post information or photos that do not have the potential to come back and haunt you.
I am so concerned about the tragic consequences of this form of bullying, I am launching a new initiative called, Stop Bullying... by Design, which will include a section of my website to share online safety tips and bullying prevention information, as well as resources for those who are being bullied. I will also be developing a brochure that will be designed for use by schools and community organizations and in support of this initiative. I am very excited about this project as I have always been an outspoken critic of bullying and a strong believer that education is the best defence.
In adding my voice to the chorus of those opposing cyberbullying, I hope the victims will feel supported. There is no reason for anyone to suffer in silence. I urge victims of cyberbullying to speak out. Tell your parents, tell your teachers, report cyberbullies to social media networks like Facebook or Twitter, but do not stay silent. Fear and silence is the currency of bullies – by being brave and speaking out, we can stop it!
Ann Cavoukian, Ph.D.
Information and Privacy Commissioner
Ontario, Canada
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