Respect other people’s personal information
TODAY, THE world celebrates Data Privacy Day. Each year, Data Privacy Day is observed on January 28 and is preceded by Data Privacy Week. The day, which is intended to, among other things, raise awareness about data protection and privacy issues, has an interesting starting point.
Observance of Data Privacy Day began in Europe in 2007 and is referred to as Data Protection Day in European countries. The US first marked Data Privacy Day in 2009, and several other countries across the world have also begun marking the day. The rationale, at least at the outset in Europe, for observing the day, is that citizens did not fully understand their data-protection rights and that on this day, there would be a focus on creating citizen awareness about protecting their personal information, knowing their privacy, and discharging their own responsibility – protecting theirs as well as the personal information of others.
The reasons cited for initially marking the day are still valid whether in Europe, the US, or the wider world. In fact, while, admittedly, there is greater awareness of the issues related to the privacy of one’s own personal information, far too many people do not fully appreciate the need to maintain the privacy of other people’s personal information. And aside from the seeming lack of will for some, lack of know-how is also a big issue. How many people know how to effectively protect their personal information when using these many devices, apps, websites, social media platforms, and services that exist? You see, modernisation has led to the proliferation of technology, its ease of deployment and ease of use. Oftentimes, this leads to a lack of vigilance. Many forget that oftentimes, the convenience obtained by placing and leaving one’s personal information on a platform/ device or in an app carries with it a risk. Also, many relegate privacy concerns to the digital or online space, forgetting that manual (traditional) activities also have associated privacy risks.
Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean face similar privacy challenges as those faced by the rest of the world. It is, therefore, important to highlight the work that is being done to spotlight privacy and to also make special mention of the legislation in the Jamaican space. Jamaica, like the approximately 160 countries across the world that have done so, has passed and put into effect its own privacy legislation. This year marks the first Data Privacy Day in Jamaica after the sections of the Jamaica Data Protection Act (JDPA), which address the rights of data subjects and the standards to be used to process personal information came into effect.
It, therefore, means that the discussion about privacy is far less abstract than in previous years as there are serious implications if one breaches the JDPA. However, although there’ is now a ‘stick’ (the JDPA), the focus should not be on that, but rather on the need to respect other people’s personal information.
At The University of the West Indies, we respect the privacy rights of all individuals, be they current and prospective staff and students, alumni, partners, and donors. We have implemented and are still implementing mechanisms to ensure that the activities surrounding the creation, acquisition, use, sharing, storage, and disposal of personal information are efficient, effective, and conform to privacy norms, legislation, and best practice. We recognise the challenges faced by the people in the places where we operate and are committed to assisting where we can. As a university, we take our role, that of human capital development and providing sustainable societal solutions, seriously. Internally, we have developed an extensive privacy-management programme across all our locations and have begun actively assisting other organisations, some small, some large, to do the same. We intend to continue sharing our knowledge, not only through education and training, but also through active participation as a provider of privacy-related services.
Not only does The University of the West Indies mark Data Privacy Day, but we use February as our Privacy Awareness Month. During February we have several events to build internal capability and to remind community members about what we are doing and their own role and responsibilities. All staff, students, and alumni are welcome to participate in these activities. If you are not a member of our community but would like to participate in one of our activities, please feel free to reach out to The University Data Protection Office (contact information follows). Again, have a great Data Protection Day and remember paying attention to privacy is paying respect – to self and to others!
To find out more contact: University Data Protection Office Regional Headquarters, The University of the West Indies Kingston 7, Jamaica, WI Telephone: (876) 977-3015; (876) 970-2417
Email: dpo@uwi.edu
Website: www.uwi.edu/ data-protection