Asian govts push privacy awareness

Sunday, 12 February 2012

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By Rahul Joshi | 7 June 2010

The Commissioners of the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities (APPA), constituting representatives from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Korea, and Hong Kong, celebrated the annual Privacy Awareness Week (PAW) by promoting a slew of initiatives aimed at informing the public about privacy concerns.

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The website, http://www.privacyawarenessweek.org, detailed the specifics of the initiative, which includes a free ID Theft Prevention Tool that tests and educates people about privacy issues in eleven situations presenting heightened vulnerability towards identity theft.

Karen Curtis, Privacy Commissioner of Australia, told FutureGov: “The theme for 2010 was ‘Privacy: It’s in Your Hands’. Identity theft is an important concern for individuals, businesses and government as it can have significant impact on the lives of individuals. The week focused on highlighting the privacy responsibilities that organisations have to protect the privacy of their customers, as well as the things that individuals can do to protect their personal privacy.”

Curtis detailed the importance of citizens being aware of their own legal rights: “In Australia, the Privacy Act of 1988 regulates the way in which personal information can be collected, the accuracy of the information, how it is kept secure, and how it is used and disclosed. It also provides individuals with a right to access and correct the personal information organisations and government agencies hold about them.”

Together with the online tool, Australia also launched the Mobilise Your Mobile Phone Privacy guide, and released an ID Scanning Information Sheet, the Privacy Impact Assessment Guide, and the Emergencies and Disasters Information Sheet.

The Hong Kong Privacy Commissioner’s Office held seminars and conducted surveys with a focus on privacy of senior citizens, while New Zealand’s theme for 2010 was “The Future of Privacy”, on which the Commissioner’s Office held a one-day forum and launched several consolidated privacy-related survey results.