Earlier this fall, we discussed the challenge delivered by Secretary Chertoff at the 29th International Conference: he argued that privacy rights must be balanced off against a country’s security needs.
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This week, we’ve been speaking to the mediaFootnote 1 about an incident at the Passport Office: a person using their online application form found that they could access others’ personal documents by changing one variable in the URL displayed in their browser. The Globe and Mail and Slashdot report that this was likely the result of an error in the code behind the web page – or an omission in the code.
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In case you missed it, last night the CBS News program 60 Minutes discussed the data breach at TJX (also known as TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Winners and Home Sense). Our report on the data breach can be found on our site. Further to our report, TJX announced they had, in fact, lost the information for 90 million cards.
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Are youth really this clueless about their digital footprint? The Information Commissioner’s Office in Great Britain has just released the results of a survey of British youth ages 14-21. “Six in 10 have never considered that what they put online now might be permanent and could be accessed years into the future.”
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For many of us, reading the privacy policies of our favourite websites isn’t exactly a thrilling prospect. It’s a bit like getting in the recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetables. Sure, it’s one of the keys to strong muscles, mental sharpness and avoiding scurvy, but it’s not always enjoyable.
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When privacy advocates try to imagine their idea of the worst possible data breach, I doubt they could think up this catastrophe.
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Over the past week, there has been considerable debate among privacy advocates about the comments made by a senior U.S. security official at a conference in October. A portion of his speech is copied below:
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On the second day of the Terra Incognita conference, we had the opportunity to hear about recent innovations in radio frequency identification tags (RFIDs).
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As part of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner’s outreach effort, we are exploring other vehicles for communicating important privacy issues. We have already begun this blog, are experimenting with videos on YouTube and Google Video, and now have finished a Flash presentation.
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Last week, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke on the subject of liberty – a wide ranging speech that touched on British constitutional history as well as modern concepts of liberty, privacy and access to information.
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