Every day seems to bring more and more digital devices and systems which become part of our daily lives.
While supposedly making our lives easier, and/or safer, supported by arguments for the need of “security”, they also make personal private data collection easier.
Ann Cavoukian is Ontario’s third and longest serving Information and Privacy Commissioner. She is hosting another public symposium on personal information gathering which will be held in Toronto on January 28 called “Big Surveillance Demands Big Privacy”
It was Commissioner Cavoukian who developed the concept of “privacy by design”.
This seeks to have ensure that privacy concerns are dealt with by data collection technologies before the data is collected, not afterward.
Her guidelines were made an international standard in 2010. It was unanimously passed by the International Assembly of Privacy Commissioners and Data Protection Authoritys and has been translated into 35 languages.
However, in terms of private information, there have been cases where health coverage has been denied because insurance companies have discovered DNA information about a client’s potential for a future health issue.
Police in Canada and elsewhere have extracted data from a vehicle’s event data recorder for use in court cases.
Edward Snowden has revealed how governments have been collecting vast amounts of meta-data on citizens.
Information on what you buy, when, and where are collected from your credit cards. You can be tracked anywhere on your mobile phone.
And with technology, all this information could theoretically be centralized. In theory, a government or agency, or private corporation could know virtually everything about you.
Commissioner Cavoukian says its important to ensure that data collection and personal information is kept under control.
This she says involves an office like hers to reign in governments and their agencies when and if they step a little over the line.
She also says, it’s important for individuals to do a little work themselves if they so choose, to limit corporate and government access to their information. This could involve such things as selecting a browser mode on your computer that does not allow tracking of your activity, or simply turning off the GPS on your phone if you’re concerned about that.
One might also buy things more often with cash, than with credit cards.
Analysis of an example of data collection (CBC)
Council for responsible genetics (data used to deny health coverage)
COMMISSIONER ANN CAVOUKIAN ON “PRIVACY BY DESIGN”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zu3-8VNEjzk
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