Alberta’s Information and Privacy Commissioner has offered his congratulations to companies and organizations that have been recognized with the Top Privacy Policies in Canada Awards. The awards were announced this week by NYMITY, one of Canada’s leading privacy research firms (www.nymity.com).
Frank Work is encouraged by the awards. “I am very pleased to offer my congratulations to companies and organizations that take privacy seriously. These companies have developed privacy policies to protect the personal information of their clients and customers, and this shows clear leadership in an area of increasing concern for Canadians”, said the Commissioner.
Work says protecting personal information is becoming a major issue for Canadians, and people should be comforted by the fact that many businesses and organizations are taking this issue seriously. “Public opinion polls show that fraud and identify theft are concerns for the public, and organizations are taking notice. However, simply having a policy is only the first step. Organizations must implement those policies, and every employee of that organization must know what that policy is. Businesses must look after the information of their customers.”
Work adds, “Employees must know about the potential ramifications of not following the polices that have been put in place. Failure to follow policy could result in personal information falling into the wrong hands. The Personal Information Protection Act in Alberta allows my office to investigate any breaches of personal information.”