Ontario Privacy Commissioner Releases New Guide For High School Seniors
In the spirit of supporting student awareness about privacy protection and the importance of open government, Dr. Ann Cavoukian, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC), has just launched a new Resource Guide for Grade 11/12 Teachers.
Consistent with course profiles funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education, the comprehensive new guide is designed to engage students’ interest and stimulate group discussion on a variety of timely topics including freedom of information, individual rights, teens’ “online brand” and social networks.
“Our Office is extremely pleased to offer this new resource to help educate young people about access to government-held information, an important public value that underpins our free and democratic society,” says Commissioner Cavoukian.
“As technology continues to evolve, it is equally important to educate teens about privacy protection, and the fact that privacy is not about secrecy — it is about the right of individuals to control their own personal information.”
The Grade 11/12 guide follows the Resource Guide for Grade 10 Teachers, launched by the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner late last year. As well, a complementary Privacy by Design lesson is now available to help students understand how privacy can be designed into technologies, processes and physical spaces. Learn more about all of the IPC resources, which also includes a Grade 5 Guide, available for teachers on the IPC web site.
Four Key Units in New Grade 11/12 Resource Guide:
- Introduction to the IPC, Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy
- Personal Information and Privacy Matters
- Using the Web: Internet Privacy
- Open Government and Freedom of Information Matters
Educators can contact the IPC for free copies at info [at] ipc.on.ca. In addition, IPC staff are available to profile the new resource guide in person at school boards. The IPC would like to acknowledge the following individuals for their work on the new Grade 11/12 Resource Guide: Bob Spence, former IPC Communications Co-ordinator, and frontline educators Bernadette Hattar and Sandra Mateus, both Co-operative Education Teachers at Rick Hansen Secondary School of the Peel District School Board.
