6 June 2008

Marking the beginning of National E-security Awareness Week, 6-13 June 2008, the Australian Privacy Commissioner, Karen Curtis, has urged both organisations and the public to take extra care to safeguard their information on computer systems:

"Many of the privacy breaches that my Office is aware of occurred not only because of malicious activity by hackers and crime groups, but also as a result of organisations failing to adopt sound privacy policies and practices aimed at preventing data loss or leakage.

"Whenever a new project is put in place or a system is created, organisations should undertake a privacy impact assessment. A failure to do this could well lead to serious mistakes being made that can affect the security and appropriate handling of customer data.

"Members of the public also have a role to play in protecting their digital information. When on social networking and other websites in particular, they should carefully consider what personal information to reveal."

Relevant e-security guidance materials appear on the Office of the Privacy Commissioner''s website at: www.privacy.gov.au/

National E-security Awareness Week is a collaborative effort between government, industry and community groups.