Governments, consumers exposed as data becomes new currency

Would you sign on to a Wi-fi service that promised to maliciously steal your data?

That’s what dozens of people at an Ottawa communications conference unwittingly agreed to this week when they signed a free Wi-fi waiver, with the alarming clause inserted to emphasize the importance of consciously reviewing terms of service.

It was a playful but poignant reminder of the need for heightened vigilance online, as corporations and criminals alike look for increasingly intrusive ways to feed their insatiable appetite for data.

But there are harsher ways to learn about the importance of cybersecurity.

Richard, a Toronto- based entrepreneur, is one of the thousands of Canadians whose social insurance numbers, birthdates and other critical information was stolen in the massive Equifax Inc. data breach announced this fall.

The news has already had resounding effects on his life and could have implications for many years to come.

“Someone could assume me entirely, duplicate me basically,” he said, now worried enough not to want to share his last name. “I can’t concentrate on my work, because I’m thinking, oh my God, what’s going to happen?”

Cybersecurity experts fear the sheer scale and pace of change in the information economy has caught governments flat-footed and left citizens vulnerable, requiring increased vigilance from individuals when signing up for services and sharing online.

Compounding the problem is many of us willingly hand over our information every time we download an app or use social media.