Calling all young Ontario filmmakers!

Video contest seeks to educate the public about privacy and social media

TORONTO, Aug. 28, 2012 /CNW/ - Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner, Dr. Ann Cavoukian, is launching a video contest today to encourage better privacy and social media habits among people who enjoy spending time online.

Make the Right Choices - A Privacy by Design Video Contest, calls on young Ontario filmmakers to produce a short video to educate Ontarians, and people all around the world, about protecting their privacy and how they can make the right choices online.

"Engaging in social media can be a very enjoyable pastime, but people's perceptions of their privacy fall far short of reality, and they lack awareness of the potential ramifications. People can get fired for what they post, inflict pain on others by inappropriately sharing or cyber-bullying, and unknowingly interact with predators because they think social media is safe. It is not - you are not! One mistake, one bad move, can have a serious impact on you, your family, your education and even future career," said Commissioner Cavoukian. "My hope is the contest will capture the imagination of young artistic minds and that they will develop creative educational messages."

Privacy by Design, first developed by the Commissioner in the 1990s, seeks to embed privacy into the design specifications of information technologies, organizational practices and networked system architectures in order to achieve the strongest protection possible. It continues to grow at breakneck speed globally, having been recognized as the international standard for protecting privacy, and translated into 25 languages. Contest entrants are being asked to incorporate one of the 7 Foundational Principles of Privacy by Design in their submission.

"It's never too early to learn about the benefits of Privacy by Design in order to protect privacy in a positive sum manner - having social media and privacy together," the Commissioner added. "The goal of our contest is to remind people to use social media sites wisely - posting information with their eyes wide open, and considering the potential risks."

Contest Prizes

• 1^st place: MacBook Pro 15-inch with Retina display and Adobe Premier Pro;
• 2^nd place: Nikon D3100 SLR Camera;
• 3^rd place: 32 GB iPod Touch; and
• People's Choice Award: 8 GB iPod Touch

Contest Details

• Open to residents of Ontario, ages 18-30
• 12, 27 or 60 seconds of original material
• Videos must fall under one of the four categories:
• Stay in Control of Social Media;
• Don't be a Cyber-bully;
• Stranger Danger;
• Don't Get Fired; and
• Incorporate one of the 7 Foundational Principles of Privacy by Design
• Contest closes November 30, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

For complete contest details, rules and regulations, please visit www.makerightchoices.ca.

About the IPC
The Information and Privacy Commissioner is appointed by and reports to the Ontario Legislative Assembly, and is independent of the government of the day. The Commissioner's mandate includes overseeing the access and privacy provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, as well as the Personal Health Information Protection Act, which applies to both public and private sector health information custodians. A vital component of the Commissioner's mandate is to help educate the public about access and privacy issues.

SOURCE: Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario

Media Contact:

Anne-Marie Tobin
Media Relations Specialist
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