The deadline for our 2009 My Privacy & Me National Video Competition has passed. This year’s contest was a huge success. Does privacy matter to you? We think so! We received over 100 submissions from all across Canada!
 
Because of the growing popularity of the contest, we have decided to present awards in four different categories (as opposed to last year where we had the students judge all videos together in one category). The categories this year are: live action; animation; French video; and junior (for entrants who are between 12 and 14 years of age).
 
Once again, we will be hosting an event with the students at Encounters with Canada to pick the winners. This event will be happening in early March. More participation also means more prizes. How exciting is that?! There will be first, second and third-place prizes in each category!
 
Thank you for your participation and thanks to all the teachers who encouraged their students to participate and provided them with the support they needed to create awesome videos.

Plan ahead – if you are interested in participating in the contest, and have something to say about personal privacy, we will be launching our 2010 contest in the spring!
 
Stay tuned in following weeks to watch the winning videos from our 2009 contest.

Do you have toys and gadgets on your wish list this holiday? A stuffed toy or a cell phone or camera? Chances are you do because 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 you to register them online so you can play games, feed and care for them, and even chat and play with other kids. And many cell phones are phones, computers and cameras, all in one.

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

Here are our tips for protecting your privacy as you enjoy your new gadgets and toys:

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!

We’re not talking about the number of days left until Christmas, but the deadline for the 2nd edition of the My Privacy and Me National Video Contest.

There’s only one week left! We are really looking forward to receiving your videos. You never cease to surprise us with the high-quality content of your public service announcements, and your creativity and diversity.

Reminder

-Deadline: December 11, 2009
-Public service announcement on privacy protection aimed at youth
-Length: 60–120 seconds
-Recording or animation
-Prizes to be won!

You can send us your entry online at video@priv.gc.ca, or submit it by mail, burned onto a DVD. Don’t forget to also submit your entry form. If you are sending it by mail, mail your entry to:

My Privacy and Me
c/o Office of the Privacy Commissioner
112 Kent St.
Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 1H3

Visit the mycontest section of our Web site for more information.

Don’t wait, get rolling!

When I received a friend request from my mother on Facebook, my first reaction was to go through all the information on my profile: the messages on my wall, my status updates, photos, groups, EVERYTHING! I finally realized that there was nothing there that would shock her; there was nothing on my profile that she didn’t already know about my interests and social life. I accepted her request.

When this kind of situation arises, some people automatically refuse the request; others accept, but give their parents limited access. The decision is up to you. You know your parents… and their real intentions

Facebook can be a good thing if it’s used the right way. Increasingly popular, social networking sites allow us to create a second identity, a digital identity that goes beyond who we are physically and how we think of ourselves. It’s a platform that many of us use to reveal ourselves, in the simplest forms, through status updates, the likes and interests listed in our personal information, and photos illustrating our lifestyle. The most important thing to keep in mind is that all this information is public and permanent.

Whether it’s a stranger, your parents, your colleagues or your employer who looks at your profile, you should be comfortable with the information that they can view. If you think that a certain photo or information should not be seen by these people, you should not post it online. Screen what you upload. Using Facebook appropriately will avoid any uneasiness.

If having your parents on Facebook makes you uncomfortable because they are constantly writing messages on your wall and commenting on everything you do, then it’s at your discretion to reject their friend request or give them limited access. I encourage you to visit a site that I found very funny called Oh Crap. My Parents Joined Facebook. It was created by two twenty-something girls who discuss and give examples of the parent child relationship on Facebook. A really interesting concept!

Lastly, just try to use the Internet to your advantage. Adjust your privacy settings and, above all, think before you click.

Today is National Child Day – also the 20^th anniversary of the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention of the Rights of the Child and made privacy a basic human right for everyone under the age of eighteen.

This means that privacy is your right. And with today’s world being so different than it was 20 years ago, this is something you may not think much about. Today, you are videotaped by security cameras almost everywhere you go. You are asked for your postal code or driver’s license when you buy a pair of jeans. You can instant message, update your status, download music, talk to friends on Facebook and play games on your computer 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!

Today, it is so easy to forget about privacy and why it’s important. And it’s easy to forget about the risks that are out there if you don’t protect your 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 looking for victims). It’s also easy to forget that when you post comments, photos and videos, online, that information is public and permanent and almost impossible to remove.

So today, on National Child Day, we wanted to remind you that privacy is your right. And today is your day. So take some time to look around youthprivacy.ca. Click through the pages and find out how you can have fun online while protecting this valuable basic human right.

In the world of computer security, the word “phishing” unfortunately doesn’t relate to sitting lazily in a canoe in the middle of a lake, waiting for a whopper to take your bait. What it actually refers to is how criminals attempt to gain access to private or sensitive data (like internet passwords and credit card numbers) by posing as a trustworthy and legitimate organization online. Phishing is very frequently seen in e-mails or instant-messaging. The message will contain a link to a website that looks and feels almost identical to a legitimate one, and it is sometimes very difficult to determine that the website is not genuine.

Many social networking sites have become a prime target for phishing, as these websites contain personal information or details that can be used for identity theft. Criminals will often create a website that looks identical to the homepage of a social networking site to get you to enter your username and password. This information is then sent to the creator of the website and used to hack your account and gain access to all of your information. Criminals might also set up a link in a message within the internal messaging system of the social networking site itself.

There are a few measures you can take to avoid getting “hooked” by phishing websites. First of all, don’t respond to an e-mail asking for personal banking information. This process is rarely ever authentic, and if a bank really does require such personal information, you should call them instead of sending the information online. Authentic companies will not ask their clients for their username or password via e-mail.

Exercise caution with e-mails and personal messages. If you don’t know the sender, try to find out if they are legitimate. Chances are, if something feels “phishy”, it probably is. While many websites have been detected by e-mail servers as potential phishing websites, it is not possible for them to catch every single one.

Protect your computer with spam-filters and anti-virus software, and make sure your firewalls are turned on. These programs are usually helpful in avoiding phishing scams and will help you to detect scams that might be hidden within your computer.

Overall, be cautious and critical of messages from people you don’t know and trust. Never enter personal information online unless you are 100% sure that the website is legitimate and authentic. If you are not sure, it’s a good idea to ask an adult for help.

Good luck, and don’t take the bait!

After reading countless blogs and articles on how important it is to keep your information safe online, you may ask yourself…Is it better to avoid social networking sites all together? This of course is one of the simplest ways to keep your personal information out of the hands of harmful individuals. But can not having an online identity at all be harmful as well?

Not having an online profile, while it may ensure your personal information is safe, could also be detrimental to your chances at a job later in life. “Today’s employers are looking for candidates who have a degree of social media and communications skills as well as an online presence” (National Post). Today’s youth are expected to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the internet and its communication possibilities. By establishing a presence in social networks and among your friends and colleagues, you show potential employers that you are familiar with how these tools work. Your social networking and e-communication skills may even look good on your resume.

This doesn’t mean that all employers expect you to have a Facebook or Twitter account. There are several other ways to leave your digital footprint, including; writing a blog or posting comments, posting opinions on news articles, creating a specialized website, signing up for a profile on professional networking sites. It goes on and on …

Before you start posting away, keep in mind that no matter what you’re doing on the Internet it’s always important to think carefully about the message you leave behind. The Internet can be a great tool to present yourself to future employers but can also turn out to be the reason for lost job opportunities.

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!

Our Commissioner, Jennifer Stoddart is worried that maybe you don’t. After conducting an investigation into Facebook’s privacy policies, we’re now turning our attention to you as the school year gets underway. Because while you may be savvy about using social media, many of you 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 you. 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.

You need to always be aware that the personal information that you post online could be used in a variety of shady ways, from embarrassing you, to stealing your identity – even for finding out where you live, go to school, or your 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. Create a one- to two-minute public service announcement on the importance of privacy by Friday, December 11th and you could win some really cool prizes!

Often, starting a new school year also means things like opening a new credit card, going out with new friends, buying new clothes and spending more time online.

All of these things sound fun – and they should be. But you can take simple steps to protect your online identity so that others can’t use your information in ways you hadn’t intended.

Online or not, banking should be safe.

Start by never giving your PIN to anyone and choosing one that is not easy to guess. Plus, never leave your personal information lying around (and don’t write your password on the bottom of your keyboard!)  – even if your roommate is your best friend. You should also keep track of personal documents such as credit card statements. 

Don’t put your information on the marketplace.

Never give out personal information without asking why it’s needed and, if you have to, give marketers only the minimum amount of information necessary to complete a transaction.

Feel free as a bird when you go out! 

Never loan your ID to your underage friends, no matter how badly they may want it. And you should always carry around only the minimum amount of personal information that you need – especially when you go out! Who knows what you’ll lose!

Protect your online privacy – boring but easy to do!  

Read the privacy policies of the Web sites you use and make sure to use the privacy settings. You should also check security procedures on your computer – install anti-virus, anti-spy software and firewalls; make sure that the file and printer sharing options on your computer are turned off; clear your memory cache after browsing; reject unnecessary cookies; and use anonymizers while browsing. Be sure to watch out for scams and to keep your passwords safe and to change them regularly. And make sure you always check to see if a site has a clearly stated privacy policy and the ‘lock’ symbol before doing business and providing your credit card details.

Remember to think twice before you post information; you don’t have to put your whole life on social networking sites! And before you start the fun, make sure that the online forms/games/applications you are using are secure – once again, read the fine print.

You are at the age when you don’t want anyone watching over you – maybe your parents have already given up! This means you need to take responsibility for your private information and your online identity. When it comes to personal information, you never know who’s watching, so… Watch yourself!

Know your privacy rights: it’s your personal information and it’s up to you to protect it. http://www.youthprivacy.ca/