Pathways to Privacy Research Symposium: Privacy for Everyone

Privacy is an issue that has caught many users of social media and social networks unawares. Heck, it’s probably an active issue for 99% of us, whether we’re aware of it or not.

The challenge of online privacy starts with the terms of reference that we “read” when we’re signing up for a new service. How many of us actually read through the pages of legalese that stand between us and the shiny new service or app that we want to try out? Very few, I’d say.

The problem is compounded by changes to privacy policies we didn’t understand in the first place.

Remember, if you are not paying for a service, then you yourself are probably the product. And some advertiser or other third party is probably paying to access the data you’ve willingly and perhaps unwittingly provided to the shiny new app/service. It’s a case of User Beware.

Thankfully, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and the Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner have both taken an active, intelligent interest in online privacy. For several years, they’ve researched issues related to our online privacy and shared their findings and observations in real life events and online. They’ve been effective advocates for our personal privacy even when we’ve given into the temptation to skip reading the privacy notices or not spent enough time considering the issues surrounding privacy. (Few of us do, including me. They are complex and layered. Tougher to get our minds around than the simple joy of “liking” or “friending”.)

So, I’m looking forward to an upcoming event staged by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. On May 2, they are convening a day-long research symposium: Pathways to Privacy: Privacy for Everyone with a top-notch line up of speakers from academe, government, and civil society. Topics and speakers include:

8:30 – 8:50 am Opening Remarks
  • Ms. Jennifer Stoddart, Privacy Commissioner of Canada
  • Ms. Patricia Kosseim, Senior General Counsel and Director General, Legal Services, Policy and Research Branch, Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

8:50 – 9:15 amOpening Keynote

9:15 – 10:30 amPanel 1: The Changing Landscape for Youth

10:45 – 12:00 pmPanel 2: Reaching Diverse Populations

1:00 – 1:25 pmAfternoon Keynote

1:25 – 2:45 pmPanel 3: Cultural Perspectives on Privacy

3:00 – 4:20 pmPanel 4: Frontiers of Surveillance and Identification among Different Populations

4:20 – 4:30 pmClosing remarks

I’m planning to attend this symposium. And if I’m able, I’ll record interviews with the speakers who have the most impact and make the greatest contribution to thinking on privacy issues.

 

Canada's Consumer Privacy Consultations: Location-based/Geospatial Tracking

The afternoon panel at the Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s Consumer Privacy Consultations dealt with location based/geospatial tracking.

The panelists were:

  • Keith McIntosh, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association
  • Dr. Teresa Scassa, Canada Research Chair in Information Law, University of Ottawa
  • Jesse Hirsh, broadcaster
  • Prashant Shukle, Director General of the Mapping Information Branch, Natural Resources Canada
  • Michael J. O’Farrell, Mobile Marketing Association

Lisa Campbell, Acting General Counsel, Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, moderated.

I used CoverItLive to capture the highlights of the discussion from the Twitter stream.

Consumer Privacy Consultations – Location-based / Geospatial Tracking

Canada's Consumer Privacy Consultations: Advertising Panel

Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart and her office assembled a panel of industry and academic experts to explore issues relating to advertising and privacy.

The panel:

  • Elizabeth Denham, Assistant Privacy Commissioner of Canada
  • Paula Gignac, President, Advertising Bureau of Canada
  • Dr. Ian Kerr, Canada Research Chair in Ethics, Law and Technology, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa
  • Dr. Avner Levin, Director of the Privacy and Cyber Crime Institute, Ryerson University
  • Jules Polonetsky, Director, Future of Privacy Forum
  • Anne Toth, Chief Privacy Officer, Yahoo

I’ve used CoverItLive to curate the Twitter stream around this event to pull out the highlights.

Advertising: 2010 Consumer Privacy Consultations, Toronto