Canadians need to take more responsibility for internet privacy in an age where increasing openness is being exploited by online fraudsters, according to Canada’s privacy commissioner.
“Many young people are choosing to open their lives in ways their parents would have thought impossible and their grandparents unthinkable,” Jennifer Stoddart notes in her annual report to Parliament, which was tabled Tuesday….
She warned that young people may be too open with their personal information online.
“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 says in her report.
Yes, social media users need to know more about privacy (and service providers need to do a much better job around explaining how information is used), and need to be able to put it into context.
But our expectations need to change, too – especially our view of what constitutes a compromising or embarrassing digital trail. Maybe this high degree of openness will lead, not to a lot of red-faced adults in 10-20 years, but a lot less hypocrisy much sooner.
Posted via web from robcottingham’s posterous
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