The Top 10 Ways Your Privacy Is Threatened

It was Data Privacy Day on January 28th and Canada’s Privacy Commissioner put together The Top 10 Ways Your Privacy Is Threatened in order to commemorate the occasion.

Data Privacy Day was marked on January 28th in Canada, the United States and in 27 European countries. It is a day meant to remind us that data privacy is important and that we should all be better advocates for it. As the Canadian government notes:

“Every day, we see headlines about sophisticated phishing attacks, enormous data breaches, in both the public and private sectors, and the proliferation of identity theft. It is no coincidence that as businesses began to recognize the immense potential of personal data in their efforts to connect with customers, so too did criminals begin to realize its value.”

Here is what the Canadian government suggests are the 10 ways your privacy is threatened:

1. People need to stand up for their privacy as a right
2. Information flows too freely with privacy protection laws being unequal around the world
3. Identity theft is a lucrative business
4. Cybercrime and physical data theft (laptop theft, unshredded documents)
5. Data breaches in all sectors and a lack of reporting requirements – so you may never know
6. Businesses collecting, but not protecting, data
7. Governments collecting data for national security and public safety
8. Information posted on social networking sites without reviewing privacy policies or privacy settings
9. Information you submit to new applications, online games or online shopping
10. Surveillance cameras, swipe cards, Internet searches