CANADA On Line Privacy and Social Media Issues Similar to U.S.

Privacy On-Line - At Work and At Home 

As more and more  Canadians live their lives on-line, the Privacy Commissioner is cautioning them to take greater responsibility for securing their privacy and thinking twice about what they post on the Internet.

 ”Many young people  are choosing to open their lives in ways their parents would have thought impossible and their grandparents unthinkable. Their lives play out on a public stage of their own design as they strive for visibility, connectedness and knowledge,” said Jennifer Stoddart, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

“Such openness  can lead to greater creativity, literacy, networking and social engagement. But putting so much of their personal information out into the open can also. . .leave an enduring trail of embarrassing moments that could haunt them in future,”  the Commissioner said in her annual report to Parliament.

The Commissioner’s  2008 Annual Report to Parliament on the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) highlights the issue of youth privacy. It also looks at 2008 privacy complaint investigations; technology and privacy issues; and the Commissioner’s efforts to encourage the development of international privacy standards.

Stoddart noted  many people are fired, missed out on job interviews and academic opportunities, and are suspended from school for instant messages, wall posts and other types of on-line correspondence they mistakenly thought were private conversations with friends.  There is also a risk that unguarded personal information could be exploited by identity thieves.

“As Canada’s  privacy guardian, it is our role to create awareness of privacy risks, show people how to address those risks, and make it easy for them to make informed decisions,” said Stoddart. (workersxzcompxzkit)

The annual report,  available on the OPC Web site at www.priv.gc.ca, includes details of complaints received and investigated by the Office in 2008.  The OPC received 422 new PIPEDA-related complaints for investigation in 2008, ending a downward trend that had lasted for several years. In 2007, there had been 350 complaints, fewer than half the 723 received in 2004.

Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers’ Compensation costs, including airlines, health care, manufacturing, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. He can be contacted at: Robert_Elliott@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-786-8286.

Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workman’s comp issues.