Latest Government Privacy Breaches Prompt Security Reviews

Accountability gap presents business sector with unprecedented opportunity to lead the way in best practices: security experts say

TORONTO, Oct. 30, 2013 /CNW/ - According to Canada's Privacy Commissioner, the federal government has disclosed the existence of over 3000 known breaches, failing to report over 85% of them and affecting hundreds of thousands of Canadians in the process. This accountability gap presents private sector businesses with unprecedented opportunities to lead the way in best practices.

Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart's office identified nine major departments/agencies with faulty security procedures and protocols. Her report called the Canadian Revenue Agency's (CRA) privacy deficiencies "disturbing" and "perplexing", recommending standardized reporting, policy & security reviews.

According to privacy expert Michael Geist the federal government "may represent the biggest risk to the privacy of millions of Canadians". The Protect Our Privacy Coalition, a broad-based initiative created to demand privacy reform, is increasingly vocal about the rights of Canadians to have their trust restored in their government following revelations of covert domestic and foreign digital surveillance.

"97% of Canadians want to know when their privacy is breached, even in the absence of legislated mandatory reporting. In addition to joining the Coalition, we believe the private sector has a great opportunity to shine, gaining public trust and positive exposure in the process" said Claudiu Popa, security author and Privacy-by-Design Ambassador.

Next week, Informatica Research will publish a report (via Twitter @Datarisk) to include 5 industry best practices businesses can readily adopt: Voluntary notification, Independent security & privacy audits, Communication, Enforcement and Education for clients/individuals about best practices in use.

About Informatica Corporation:

Informatica is Canada's leading management consulting company specializing in Information Security Assurance-as-a-Service. Canadian businesses seek the Verify™ seal to demonstrate best practices. Standardized Verify™ security testing and privacy impact assessments (PIA) conform with industry standards and legislation.

The company awards one of Canada's most respected security trustmarks, the Statement of Trust™ to organizations that demonstrate verifiable best practices. The flexible assessment framework enables compliance with global standards including Privacy by Design™, Payment Card Industry's PCI-DSS, Government Security Policy and established regulations for the healthcare and financial sectors.

Informatica Corporation is a Charter Member of the Protect Our Privacy Coalition.

SOURCE: Informatica Security Corporation

Media Interviews & Commentary:

Claudiu Popa, President/CEO
[email protected]
Informatica Corporation: www.SecurityandPrivacy.ca
1 Yonge St., Toronto, Canada
416-431-9012