The COVID-19 pandemic has had deep privacy and security ramifications for individuals and organizations, and accelerated many new concerns and questions around this vital issue.
It’s no longer sufficient to have a passing familiarity with information privacy. Now more than ever, workers and employers need to get smart about data protection and information security.
Information privacy safeguards while working from home
Businesses and individuals have had to quickly educate themselves on privacy issues and best practices that they didn’t necessarily need to know before the pandemic.
For instance, work-from-home arrangements have created significant information privacy issues for employees and organizations. Employees are handling potentially sensitive data at home and this must be looked at with a new level of scrutiny.
With working from home set-ups likely to continue for the foreseeable future, individuals and employers need to ensure that sensitive data is inaccessible to other members of their household. All work devices and software need to be updated and protected from cyberattacks. Individuals also need to be aware of any sensitive information that may be in view during video conference calls.
In the new normal, employers and employees need to educate themselves on these best practices to protect the personal information of their clients and stakeholders — practices that a trained privacy professional can help an organization navigate during these ever-changing times.
New and re-examined privacy laws in Canada
These new laws will impact all Canadians in their personal and work lives. It’s essential that people be aware of them and understand the effects they’ll have. With these new regulations on the horizon, organizations also need personnel who can assess, implement, and audit new and established privacy policies.
Because of the concerns that the pandemic has exposed about information privacy, there’s now a renewed energy to look at the laws and regulations that protect Canadians.
The national privacy law of Canada, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), will undergo a reform in Parliament, where some of the areas it’s not addressing, such as employee or employment privacy concerns, will be examined. Ontario is also considering its first-ever private sector privacy law.
These new laws will impact all Canadians in their personal and work lives. It’s essential that people be aware of them and understand the effects they’ll have. With these new regulations on the horizon, organizations also need personnel who can assess, implement, and audit new and established privacy policies.
Get smart about information privacy during the pandemic
From protecting sensitive data in the home to new federal privacy laws, the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded information privacy concerns in Canada and thrust individuals and organizations into situations where they need to educate themselves about data security and privacy protection.
To help educate individuals on established and emerging data protection principles, the York University School of Continuing Studies launched a new six-month, part-time, and online Certificate in Information Privacy.
“As Canada’s leader in providing accelerated, online certificate programs, our Certificate in Information Privacy will allow graduates to reskill or upskill in this high-demand field and help individuals, communities, and organizations navigate their privacy concerns and obligations,” says Tracey Taylor-O’Reilly, Assistant Vice President of Continuing Studies at York.
Led by industry-expert instructors, the Certificate in Information Privacy will teach students fundamental information privacy principles, operational methods, and emerging technologies that define privacy practice today. Students will also benefit from the School’s unique cohort model, which allows them to interact and form relationships with a community of like-mind peers.
Professionals can improve their personal privacy awareness during the COVID-19 crisis or contribute to bettering the privacy practices of the organization where they work. Register for the York University School of Continuing Studies’ innovative Certificate in Information Privacy and learn about privacy and data protection.
Or, explore the School’s other data, information, and technology professional program offerings, all in emerging and high-demand technical fields.
