| 28 January 2007 was the first Council of
Europe Data Protection Day. You may think this has nothing
to do with you but if you have a mobile phone, use the
internet or agree to receive additional promotional material
when purchasing goods or entering competitions, then read
on.
Did you ever get a text message advertising a new product
or a gig and wonder how the sender got your number?
You have rights, and you can stop unwanted texts. For
more information, see www.dataprotection.ie/viewdoc.asp?m=m&fn=/documents/guidance/spamguide.htm
Do you ever answer questionnaires or sign-up for competitions
and then get irritated by follow-up contacts promoting
various goods and products?
Do you play interactive games and get asked for your
personal details? Do you love telling others in chat
rooms everything about yourself? Did you ever say too
much? Did you ever tell a stranger where you live? Your
private life is your business and you can share as much
information as you like, but make sure you think it
through before you share personal details. Remember,
if you consent to publish personal information about
yourself over the Internet, you never know where it
may end up. Think about the implications before you
sign up to chat rooms or social networks and check whether
there is a way you can make a complaint about material
to the owners of a website or request its removal.
The Office of the Data Protection Commission will be
working with 12 – 24 year olds to discover what
privacy issues may affect you and how greater awareness
can help you make more informed choices. Throughout
2007, the Office will conduct research, consult with
teens and issue new multi-media guidance material through
websites, schools, colleges and other media on data
protection and online privacy. For more information
about data protection, please go to www.dataprotection.ie.
There is currently a competition on e-privacy being
run across Europe and beyond in association with Safer
Internet Day 2007. For more information see
http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/news/events/sid2007.htm
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