Your personal information may not be your first thought when it comes to coronavirus, but if you’re worried, we’ve put together some information to help.
- Government, the NHS and other organisations will make sure you get vital public health messages via phone, email or text. You don’t need to give them your consent.
- You might be asked to give details about sensitive health conditions and recent travel that you think are excessive. Employers and organisations do have an obligation to protect their staff, so in some cases it can be reasonable for them to ask you if you have experienced coronavirus symptoms. But they shouldn’t be asking for more information than is necessary, and if you are concerned, speak to the organisation involved.
- If you become ill with coronavirus, your employer might need to tell your colleagues. But that doesn’t mean they need to give out your name.
- If you’ve made a Freedom of Information request from a public body or made a subject access request (SAR) for your own information, you should expect delays in response. That’s because organisations are diverting their resources to help with other challenges.
This Valentine's Day, don’t let your date steal your data!
Online dating has never been more popular, with half of 16-34-year-olds using dating apps and new sites popping up all the time. Whilst its now easier than ever to find the love of your life, online dating is not without its pitfalls, particularly where your personal data is concerned.
Some romance scammers can use online dating sites to gather personal data and steal your identity. Your name, address and date of birth provide enough information to create another ‘you’. An identity thief can use a number of tactics to find your personal information and can then use it to open bank accounts, take out credit cards and apply for state benefits in your name.
How can I protect myself from dating scams?
Keep the mystery alive
Think carefully when picking your username – MancBen93 would give scammers a good idea of where you live and your date of birth. Avoid putting too much information on your profile.
Don’t overshare too soon
Romance scammers might ask for your address to send you gifts or your phone number so they can contact you. Always wait until you feel comfortable and have met in person before sending over any personal information.
Make sure your dating app is the one
Different dating apps will ask for different levels of personal information and some will connect with other social media apps. Make sure you know exactly how much of your personal information other users can see and that you’re happy with how much is being given away.
I think I’ve been a victim of a romance scam – what can I do?
Our guide to identity theft has more information on some of the signs to look out for and what you can do if you’ve been a victim.
You can also get more advice at:
- Action Fraud (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or Police Scotland (as Action Fraud do not deal with people who live in Scotland).
- Bank Safe Online
- Financial Ombudsman Service
- CardWatch c/o APACS
Mercury House
Triton Court
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Safer Internet Day - 11 February
This year’s theme is Free to Be, discussing how young people manage their online identity, and how the internet changes how they think of themselves and others. The day aims to highlight the fact that the internet is a great place for children and young people to express themselves. It’s also somewhere to find out more about other people who may have different views.
But it’s important that people are aware of the issues that children and young people face online. We can all play a part in making sure the internet is a safe area for everybody of whatever age to share their views.
Lots of children can download apps, play online games and use social media sites. Most of the time they are better at this than their parents! Current research suggests that children make up a fifth of all internet users in the UK.
However, they’re using an internet that wasn’t designed with them in mind. That’s why the area of children’s privacy has become a priority area of work for us.
We have recently published our Children’s Code. The aim of this code is to protect children’s privacy online by making it clear to designers and developers they must put the best interests of their child users first
How do we expect them to do this?
The code sets out 15 standards that online services like websites, apps and games, that are likely to be used by children should meet to protect children’s privacy.
The code, which is rooted in data protection law, says that whenever children access a new website or app, baseline privacy standards should be in place to protect their personal data and privacy by default.
The code is making its way through the Parliamentary process and we expect organisations to start implementing the standards after that. Once the code takes full effect, we’ll be able to take enforcement action against companies that fail to put our children first.
Safer Internet Day strives to make sure our children can enjoy the benefits of the internet and stay safe. And our code is a concrete step in the right direction.
In a generation from now, we will find it astonishing that children weren’t always protected in this way.
We have a section on our Online Safety pages offering practical tips about how you can help to keep your children safe online.
Updating WhatsApp on your device
On 14 May, WhatsApp announced an incident involving a spyware vulnerability on WhatsApp.
There are currently two agencies dealing with the incident, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) on behalf of UK consumers and the Irish Data Protection Commission (IDPC) as the lead authority for WhatsApp under the EU GDPR.
We are currently liaising with the Irish Data Protection Commissioner to determine whether any UK users have been affected.
For anyone concerned about using WhatsApp the advice is to update your apps using standard updates from the app store as a precaution.
