Think of all the activities you do in a day. You might go to the mall, browse the Internet, chat with friends, play an online game…the list goes on. Now consider how many times you were asked to provide your personal information while doing those activities. It is so common these days that you may not even realize it. Retail stores may ask for your e-mail address, postal code or even telephone number, just to process a sale. On the Internet it seems as though you can’t play any online games without first registering. Have you ever wondered why companies ask for this information? We often just hand it over without questioning the reasons.

Next time you feel uncomfortable handing over your personal information for something as simple as buying a pair of shoes, ask the company why they need it. They should be able to tell you why they need the information, how they will be using it and how they will protect it. If you are dissatisfied with the answer they provide you can decline to provide it and you should still be able to complete the transaction. The law states that a business may only collect personal information about you that is essential to the business transaction. For example, if you are having a purchase delivered, you would need to provide your full address and possibly your name. If further information is requested, you have a right to ask why and to decline to provide it if you are dissatisfied with the answer.

Things become much less clear once you start using the Internet. The Canadian Association of Internet Providers (CAIP) has created a voluntary privacy code that every website is encouraged to adhere to. Although there is no face-to-face interaction, when you are online you still have a right to know how an organization is using your personal information. Answers to these questions should be covered in a site’s privacy policy. It is always a good idea to review a company’s privacy policy, especially if you don’t feel comfortable with the information they are asking for. A typical privacy policy might cover the following elements:

• What type of personal information the organization collects about you
• How your personal information is used and shared with third parties
• How the organization obtains your consent and how you can opt out
• How your personal information is safeguarded
• How you can update your personal information
• How you can contact the organization with your privacy concerns

You might wonder why it’s important to know what organizations are doing with your personal information. It’s simple: once you learn the reasons, you may be uncomfortable with what they’re doing with it. Some companies may sell your information to third parties, use it to send you junk mail, send you unwanted promotional materials or sign you up for contests and subscriptions. The list goes on! An organization can use your information for whatever purposes they feel are useful as long as you have provided them with the information and they have listed those purposes in their privacy policy. It’s up to you to read that policy or ask questions.

So be aware of your rights and you can better protect your privacy, both online and in the real world. You always have a right to know!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 at 2:47 pm by Stephanie Grimes and is filed under administration. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.