My Privacy, My Choice, My Life

The web today isn’t just a place people go for information. It’s where we shop, share and socialize—especially young people who’ve grown up with the web. It’s second nature.

But when we do those things, we don’t always think about who we’re giving our personal information to…

… how it might be used… and whether it’s safe.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada ensures that Canada’s privacy laws are followed by businesses and government agencies—and helps individuals understand their privacy rights and make informed choices about how to protect their personal information.

Part of our work involves raising Canadians’ awareness of privacy issues—including key groups such as youth. In 2008, we asked students across the country to tell us why they thought protecting online privacy was important. We held a contest through our “youth privacy” website asking youth to make videos that showed their take on privacy issues. The submissions were outstanding.

The videos were screened and judged in Ottawa by members of the national youth forum, Encounters with Canada, on February 10, 2009.

The contest was a great success, raising awareness among youth of privacy issues directly relevant to them. You can see the full videos of all finalist entries—including the top three winners—online at “youthprivacy.ca.”

Privacy is everyone’s concern. The “My Privacy & Me” competition will be an annual event, building on the success of 2009 to encourage even more young people to think about their privacy and the choices they make as they live their lives online. It’s just one example of the ways the Office of the Privacy Commissioner works to raise awareness of privacy issues and helps Canadians understand how to protect their personal information.