Data Privacy Day events attract hundreds of participants

Published on: January 31, 2020

Data Privacy Day 2020 pop-up booth at Bahen Centre for Information Technology, St. George campus. Clockwise, top: Information Security Scale survey, Information Technology Services staff and students playing the “Catch the Phish!” game.

Hundreds of University of Toronto (U of T) staff, students and faculty participated in Data Privacy Day events this month to learn about privacy and data protection best practices.

The St. George campus hosted a Data Privacy Day pop-up booth on Jan. 28 with more than 100 participants stopping by to chat with experts from U of T’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Office, Information Security and Education and Awareness teams.

Guests also played games (like the popular “Catch the phish!” challenge), participated in a survey about privacy styles, took home resources and won prizes. The booth was located in the lobby of Bahen Centre for Information Technology and hosted by the three aforementioned Information Technology Services (ITS) teams.

The University of Mississauga (UTM) campus also participated in awareness outreach around Data Privacy Day 2020.

UTM’s Information & Instructional Technology Services (I&ITS) team shared a variety of resources and hosted a number of events throughout January. This included daily data privacy tips on the @UTMServiceDesk Twitter account, a mobile device security clinic and a Data Privacy Day livestream event on Jan. 28 called “A Vision for the Future,” hosted by LinkedIn.

Background

Data Privacy Day takes place annually on Jan. 28. It has been celebrated in Canada and the United States since 2008 to commemorate the 1981 signing of Convention 108, the first legally-binding treaty to address data privacy and protection. The day is celebrated internationally by many well-respected educational, public and private institutions.

For resources, visit our Security Matters website as well as UTM’s resources page.