Privacy Awareness Week (PAW) was officially launched in NSW on Friday 27 April 2012 by the NSW Privacy Commissioner, Dr Elizabeth Coombs, and the NSW Attorney General and Minister for Justice, the Hon. Greg Smith MP.
The focus of PAW this year is on children and teenagers to get them thinking about protecting their privacy and the consequences of their online behaviour.
“Today’s technologies are changing the way young people are interacting with others and this exposes them to a number of risks such as cyber-bullying, identity theft and other security risks. They tend to have a relaxed attitude when it comes to privacy but the risks are very real and we need to educate them on the importance of protecting themselves,” said Dr Coombs.
“A range of resources have been developed that can be used by young people, their parents and teachers to help educate and promote safe online behaviour. These resources are available and are free to download from our website www.privacy.nsw.gov.au,” added Dr Coombs.
Helping to launch PAW was the NSW Attorney General, Greg Smith, who stressed the importance of awareness of online privacy in our community.
Detective Superintendent Colin Dyson, Commander of the Fraud and Cybercrime Squad, was also at the launch speaking about the need for a shift in attitudes when it comes to online behaviour. “The best weapon we have against crimes facilitated through online activity such as social networking sites is user attitudes and behaviour,” Supt. Dyson said.
Finally, Imelda Dodds, CEO of NSW Trustee and Guardian, gave an account of how her bank account had been compromised and money from her account was used to gamble in an international gambling organisation. She explained how shocked she was at the ease and speed at which it happened and said that the experience has now made her vigilant about protecting her privacy online.
The Privacy Commissioner would like to extend her thanks to all the speakers and guests that attended the PAW launch and made the event a success.
Privacy Awareness Week runs from 29 April to 5 May, 2012.
To help promote privacy in your organisation, or for more information, visit www.privacy.nsw.gov.au to download the privacy resources.