Not the most interesting of topics for many people it has to be said, but think about these 3 news stories that made headlines over the last week – did you read them and stop to think about the implications?

1. A computer incident at the NZ St John’s Ambulance service – part of our critical infrastructure – that left staff relying on back up radio equipment for 2 days – the source apparently a virus laden USB stick.
2. A Russian hacker remotely accessing a US water treatment plant, a fact only picked up on when the stolen SCADA system password was used to burn out a pump onsite from 5000 miles away.
3. A vulnerability in DNS servers that was used for denial of service attacks against the essential domain name system that is necessary for routing all our internet traffic.

Do these kind of things interest you?

After my 60 hour SANS course they do me – a quick trip through such topics as wireless security, Windows networking and Defense In-Depth might not pique the interest of a lot of people but it opened my eyes to just how many fundamental computer security issues I wasn’t aware of.

Many of us have come to rely on machines during our daily lives and as technology becomes cheaper and computer chips embedded into more and more devices it’s essential we all play a part in protecting ourselves.

With skills learnt on the course I could now (in theory, if I was a ‘bad guy’ and with some time spent improving my Linux knowledge) hijack and infect computers on those free wireless access points you see nowadays; I could listen in on private conversations in modern cars equipped with Bluetooth functionality; I could capture and crack weak system passwords and lastly I could spear phish to my hearts content and exploit corporate types who might share too much information unwittingly online.

I’m not saying I would of course, but the fact there are so many widely documented attack methods out there – think scams, social engineering and malware toolkits as just 3 examples – makes me think twice about my somewhat lax approach to date to online safety and security. And I work for NetSafe!

Over the next 12 months we’ve been contracted by the Ministry of Economic Development to undertake a nationwide cyber security awareness programme to make people better aware of how to stay safe and secure online.

The last week (and instructor Bryce Galbraith in particular) has taught me all kinds of things that can be put to good use to help other New Zealanders improve their digital habits and be better equipped to battle the bad guys.

I’m going to be writing about many of the topics that featured in our NetBasics programme from 2008 and trying to come up with the kind of simple, straightforward and up to date advice that anyone and everyone can follow to keep their home computer or small business IT systems better protected.

Stay tuned!

I’m quite excited about the whole thing as it shows (quoting the words of Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Steven Joyce) that “cyber security is becoming increasingly important for New Zealanders, businesses and government” .

The staff at NetSafe would wholeheartedly agree on this point as we deal day in and day out with a whole host of support calls, emails and Orb reports from people around the country hoping for help and advice with all kinds of issues, many of them now involving  loss – loss of time, loss of data, loss of money and often loss of sleep.

The world of cybersafety has certainly evolved and matured since NetSafe was founded in 1998 (we share this teenage status with Google) and technology has improved to automatically protect computers and computer users.

That’s no reason to get complacent though as this recent report from American security company RSA on Advanced Persistent Threats makes it plain that “social engineering is now the #1 threat vector”:

Anyone can be phished given the right context – and attackers have growing access to information about would-be targets through social networking sites that help them identify the right people to go after within the organization and also personalize their attacks

In the last week or so security researchers have demonstrated a real world hack for the SSL/TLS protocol known as Browser Exploit Against SSL/TLS (BEAST) that protects online banking and e-commerce websites all round the world (note: there’s a solution from 2006 that may soon be rolled out to solve this issue).

And the US departments of Homeland Security and Commerce have issued an RFP to develop a security programme which would have major American ISPs detect and notify customers they are part of a botnet army.

The team at NetSafe is currently working on a new national education and awareness programme that should address some of these growing cyber security concerns and will be another part of the Cyber Security Strategy. Watch this space for updates and more infomation on the partners who will be guiding our efforts to protect more New Zealand consumers and small businesses when they go online.

In the 21st century, where hordes of paparazzi and every citizen with a mobile phone can scoop an embarrassing night club exit you’d think the rich and famous would be a little more cautious about how they controlled their digital footprint.

And yet news reaches us this week that starlet Scarlett Johanssen has called in the FBI over leaked nude photos taken from her mobile phone.

The star of one of my favourite films, Lost in Translation, is apparently just the latest in a long line of celebs being literally exposed online through theft or data loss and will likely not be the last to have cellphone photos passed around.

How does this impact on New Zealand teens?

If taking or sharing nude photos is good enough for Hollywood stars, then the technology within reach of most teens can often be put to use in a modern romantic relationship and sexting – the texting of naked images – is thought to be widespread in New Zealand.

It’s a cybersafety issue many groups globally have tried to persuade teens is a bad idea. Once that photo is taken and shared with your current partner there’s nothing stopping them sending it on to friends or enemies if you break up (or even if you don’t).

It has in fact also been the downfall of many adults too, including the recent high profile fall of US politician Anthony Weiner.

Sexting safety advice:

• Think carefully before you use that cameraphone to snap a private pic – even if you don’t send the photo on to anyone else, if your mobile is lost or stolen there’s every chance a thief will be able to access the digital images stored – install mobile security software that lets you find, lock or wipe your phone
• Sharing a digital file with a loved one means the loss of control over that picture – think about where it may end up if you argue or split up
• If you’re sent images of a school or classmate don’t forward them on to others – bystanders can help in situations like this by deleting images, not becoming part of the problem by spreading personal images further
• If you’ve taken a photo and shared it on Facebook (even if you think you’ve locked down your privacy settings) you’ve also lost control of the data – deleting pictures from websites is almost impossible

We’re fortunate in New Zealand that the Police treat sexting among minors with sensitivity and common sense – in many American states these images are associated with child pornography and can result in those involved being registered as sex offenders.

If you’re concerned about sexting get in touch with NetSafe. And have a look at this video ‘Megan’s Story’ from ThinkUKnow Australia which explains the issue in a simple and emotional way:

Now Facebook has certainly been in the news lately and does indeed generate a lot of ‘business’ for NetSafe – if you can consider gossip sites, slander, abuse and bullying a positive business effect for NetSafe!

Over the last year we have probably expended up to 20% of our effort on dealing with Facebook ‘issues’ be they worried school principals, stressed out parents or anxious teenagers. There’s a whole range of problems we deal with connected with Facebook: stranger danger, anonymous threats to harm, group bullying, peer pressure, cyber bullying, imposter profiles and more.

That’s not to say it’s Facebook’s fault or responsibility this stuff happens – the company has simply created a networking tool that has become part of many people’s lives and in doing so has become a reflection of human behaviour in general (and that includes all the bad bits).

Becoming a social media ‘guru’ and riding the revolution

At NetSafe we use Facebook to push out status updates to our ‘fans’, little cybersafety related news stories and links. For many companies Facebook has become a great new way to engage with and have two ways conversations with your customers (with all the community generated content risks that brings).

Any New Zealand company can register for Facebook and have a page live in 5 minutes. For small business owners there has undoubtedly been a lot of hype about Facebook and ‘viral’ social media in general.

It’s now evident that there’s been a whole range of companies looking to profit off this interest and that’s what brings me back to Christchurch and the ‘Social Outbreak: Total Media System’.

As a cynical ex-journo I looked at the site and saw a product being promoted as the ultimate Facebook marketing tool when it’s quite easy to get something up and running yourself for free. There are lots of Facebook app builders and page creation tools you can test out on your page without being a programmer.

Dig deeper and it appears the offer is in fact a multi level marketing style company where signing up brings both the product and the opportunity to bring your friends and neighbours on board.

Is it a scam?

I can’t answer that question with any authority at present not having attended the presentations myself but there’s certainly a lot of internet chatter about the system being a Ponzi scheme.

There’s even an Australian Facebook page with people over the ditch discussing the downsides: https://www.facebook.com/SocialOutbreakScam. Remember: internet forums and Facebook pages are not providing the gospel truth on companies but are one way of evaluating ‘the opinion of the crowd’.

If you’re thinking of joining and have looked at the detailed compensation plan make sure your think through your reasons for handing your money over – the internet has been marketed as a great ‘get rich quick’ opportunity for the 15 years or so I’ve been working online.

It’s certainly true that many people have generated wealth with websites but when it comes to Facebook I’d suggest trying out the free tools, speaking with the developer community and evaluating the Social Outbreak offer fully before you sign on the dotted line. A quick bit of Googling can provide an insight into what others are saying.

If you’ve been to the briefing events or paid for the system do get in touch or leave a comment. The Commerce Commission website also has a handy guide to pyramid schemes in New Zealand and precautions you should take when checking out any multi-level marketing offer.

Auckland - NetSafe, New Zealand’s internet safety and security organisation, is marking the first anniversary of their ‘Online Reporting Button’ website (www.theorb.org.nz) this week.

The site received almost 1700 reports of online incidents during the first 12 months of operation with financial losses mounting up to more than three quarters of a million dollars.

The site is run in partnership with the Police, Customs Service, Commerce Commission, Department of Internal Affairs and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. But NetSafe has seen most activity connected with internet scams and frauds which is overseen by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and their Scamwatch programme.

“More than 60% of cases reported to us have been classic online scams,” said Martin Cocker, NetSafe’s Executive Director. “Over half the money reported lost was by individuals falling prey to phishing attacks, advanced fee fraud and romance scams.”

Over the course of the last year the not-for-profit has been able to use the website as an effective early warning system as new scams are reported in waves by people from all over New Zealand.

“Looking at the data involved, we’ve seen the most reports submitted by people living in the urban centres of Auckland, Canterbury and Wellington,” said Cocker. “But there have been incidents reported by people in every part of the country, particularly with cold calling computer experts looking to gain access to your PC.”

“As a result of this intelligence we’ve able to produce specific consumer advice, proactively warn people of the issues and also work with our law enforcement and government partners to try and get scammers shut down.”

Lowlights of the year

NetSafe’s analysis of the Orb reports shows patterns in the type of incidents reported:

• During the last 4 months of 2010 the main issues were advanced fee frauds targeting car sellers and rental scams affecting landlords and tenants.
• Later there was a rise in people reporting cold calling computer support companies which continued on into 2011.
• The next most common incidents reported were hacked email accounts being used to send spam and to request emergency funds from friends; phishing attacks on people using online banking plus fake IRD and bank fee refund offers.
• The largest individual losses reported were romance scams that may have taken many months to perpetrate.
• The infographic below details some further key statistics. A larger version of this image (658KB, 1024px resolution) is made available for media use and can be downloaded from http://blog.netsafe.org.nz/media/orb-infographic.12.08.11.jpg

Download the full 3.2MB version of this infographic

Report incidents and help others

NetSafe believes the incident reports made to the Orb are just tip of the iceberg when it comes to online scams.

Martin Cocker said “A Statistics New Zealand survey from 2009 put the number of individual victims of internet fraud at 56,000 – that would suggest that current reporting represents only a fraction of overall incidents.”

The Orb site lets you report incidents anonymously – almost one in four last year were made this way – and NetSafe is keen for people affected to submit their experiences so that it, and its partner organisations, can use the information to improve cyber safety and security programmes.

“The New Zealand government has recently released its cyber security strategy and that includes equipping individuals and small businesses with the skills to protect themselves” said Cocker. “The more people tell us about the problem via the Orb, the better we can work to help others stay safe online.”

Help and advice from NetSafe

You can report your concerns about online incidents in one central location at www.theorb.org.nz. NetSafe will direct your report through to the partner best able to investigate or advise you.

Visit www.netsafe.org.nz and find out how you can keep your computer secure and avoid the latest online challenges.

- ENDS -

Media contact: Martin Cocker, Executive Director of NetSafe, 021 790 369

About the Orb – http://www.theorb.org.nz

The orb website was launched by NetSafe in August 2010 to offer all New Zealanders a simple and secure way to report their concerns about online incidents. NetSafe works with partner agencies to direct reports through to the organisation best able to investigate or advise on various types of online incidents. These include scams and frauds, spam messages, objectionable material, privacy breaches and problems whilst shopping online.

About NetSafe – http://www.netsafe.org.nz

NetSafe is an independent non-profit organisation that promotes confident, safe, and responsible use of online technologies. NetSafe promotes cybersafety and security and champions digital citizenship by educating and supporting individuals, organisations and industry on a range of issues.

UPDATE:

- A great supportive comment from Detective Senior Sergeant John van den Heuvel of the Police National Cyber Crime Centre (NC3):

NZ Police supports the ORB as it provides a platform whereby the public have the ability to report crimes and other poor behaviour that occurs over the internet.

Having a central reporting point goes a long way towards helping determine the extent of online crime in NZ and is also an effective way to provide victims’ with useful online safety information.

Over the past 12 months NZP have supported Netsafe in the development and promotion of the ORB and see the potential it has to further provide a much needed service to the public.

- Many thanks to Waldo at Microsoft for bringing Zoom.it to our attention for making infographics more useable:

Not that long ago many people would have falllen madly in love (or lust) with a colleague at work and settled down in domestic bliss safe in the knowledge they’d found their true love so close to home.

Along comes the internet though and your perfect match could be living thousands of miles away and yet still be available to you due to the wonders of online dating.

Being able to plug your interests and personal characteristics into an online database of potential suitors now means some clever geek could have developed an algorithm able to identify your perfect date without the nastiness of those uncomfortable first dates in loud bars or cheap restaurants.

Love, love, loved up online

A friend of a friend (honest) tells me though that online dating has just as many pitfalls as real world hooking up. There are the liars who operate under photos 10+ years (and a full head of hair) out of date.

There are also scammers out there looking to earn your trust and develop a long distance loving relationship only to go in for the kill several months down the line and hit you for cash for a plane ticket/visa/emergency operation.

As we approach the first anniversary of our Orb website – the one stop place to report cyber incidents in NZ – we’re undertaking some analysis of previous reports and discovering that romance scams, where your new love suddenly needs financial assistance, are the largest financial ‘crimes’ to have been reported through the site.

I put the word ‘crime’ in quotes there due to the vague legal and criminal status that many of these cases can end up being assigned due to the frequent cross border nature of the scam.

Once you’re asked for money via Western Union (or any other type of difficult to trace money transfer system) be sure to stop and think through your lover’s motives before sending cash out of the country.

Take a look at our scam specific website www.scammachine.org.nz to fully understand the heart-tugging hooks used by criminals to earn your trust, secure your love and then hit you where it hurts.

Dont get paranoid but do stay safe

However you seek love online do be sure to think through contact requests made by people you don’t know. Most internet dating sites will have in-depth safety sections with advice on how and where to meet, telling a friend before you meet, etc. And it pays to read that advice.

This case reported on the Sophos Naked Security blog of a Belgian supermarket manager learning a lesson the hard way after making a new Facebook friendship with a woman called ‘Katrien Van Loo’ should stay in your memory for some time to come.

I suggest you check out the video below that illustrates the case with a nice romantic video mixed with real CCTV footage of a kidnapper robbing his store. Be lucky in love and stay safe too.

On the one hand, kids growing up in this, the second decade of the 21st century, have never had it so good (despite the current recessionary GFC rumblings). Ample access to food, shelter and warmth and a distinct lack of world wars – what more can a child ask for?

On the other hand, stop to think for too long and you can list: child poverty, child abuse, climate change, the downward pressure on wages and a need to build skills and abilities to compete with schoolchildren anywhere and everywhere as globalisation takes effect on labour markets.

As the father of two primary age children I try to follow Monty Python’s advice and always look on the bright side of life. And so I’m going to launch in to a quick review of two separate but connected education related stories out there on today’s interweb.

First off, the news that one bold American state has abandoned testing cursive writing amongst schooolchildren to focus instead on keyboard skills.

How do you react to such a step change? It’s not exactly a battle on the scale of natural selection vs. creationary teachings. It does however – I think – reflect the way our world is moving. Who needs to write neatly if you spend 8+ hours a day typing and receiving emails?

One parent’s reaction: “How are they supposed to know how to sign their names?” Will children need to when everyone has their own personal digital signature?

No need for pens when we have our own personal robots!

A screenshot from the Latitude research at http://latd.tv/kids/kidsTech.pdf

Moving on then to my next piece of educational news as it applies to children’s desires for developments in Human Computer Interaction. A great study prepared by Latitude 42 entitled Children’s Future Requests for Computers & the Internet.

Interviewing 200 children around the globe, the study asks what tech changes would you like to see in years to come? Again as a parent and iPhone owner I can only confirm their finding that touch based interfaces (or anything better) wins out any day over mouse clicking.

In general I found the 12 slides – available embedded below – all very Star Trek:

• kids want computers that ‘print’ food (now almost working with chocolate)
• the ability to visit physical spaces (think the Holodeck)
• but my favourite is the slide artwork reproduced above showing any computer as a teleportation device! Gene Rodenberry was so ahead of his time…

How is this useful for educators? Well it certainly confirms for me one of NetSafe’s 4 truths of cybersafety – that technology for digital natives (terrible term) is very much normative and in fact part and parcel of everyday life.

Children no longer see their environment split into an online and offline world, they would if anything like to see those Star Trek novelties become real and so too would I.

What better way to both enhance learning with virtual field trips and save the planet from the carbon ravages of air travel than to invent a working transporter? Make it so!

Latitude 42 Study: Children’s Future Requests for Computers & the Internet

There that didn’t feel too bad.

Journalist may be one  of the most reviled professions out there – alongside real estate agent and lawyer – but there’s something cathartic in sharing my confession with you in the same way recovering alcoholics always seem so relieved in those AA meetings in American movies.

I’m sharing this with you because today international media baron Rupert Murdoch announced the closure of the quintesssential British tabloid newspaper the News of the World.

After 168 years, the media storm and public revulsion over growing phone hacking allegations has seen advertisers pull their business and readers pledge to boycott the paper on Facebook groups of some substantial size:

when footballers, politicians and film stars had their phones hacked the public really didn’t give 2 hoots but when they start on victims of crime and relatives of the war dead, the public would happily lynch them
Messageboard discussion on the allegations

In my short lived career as a journalist I worked for News International for 3 months running a youthful news desk on their start-up UK ISP business.

I made the jump from another major UK media group after 9 months working nights where my naive innocence had been shattered in about week two. I can still remember the shock at looking at the print-ready Quark file for that weekend’s front page celebrity trashing story that had overlaid said celebrity’s head over the top of another man’s body in a ‘revealing photo exclusive’.

A popular career choice

I originally applied for a one year journalism course based on a great desire to be the next Jeremy Clarkson (confession number 2). Whilst my earnest classmates yearned to break politic scandals on The Times of London, I was secretly set on writing humourous stories for Top Gear magazine.

After 12 months of writing practice, legal training, and learning to write shorthand at 120wpm (confession number 3: I can still write it but just not transcribe it so well…) I qualified and spent three months working freelance for a news agency sourcing salacious court stories that would sell to the nationals. And that I must admit is an artform!

I quickly sensed I wasn’t cut out for the cutthroat world of reporting and side stepped into subbing and 1996 era website design and production – what foresight I now tell myself.

There is without doubt a real sense of power that comes from carrying a press card, hanging out in VIP areas or sitting in the press box of a ancient English courtroom. There is also a ‘fight to the death’ requirement that comes from chasing exclusives for money and reputation and that’s what I think makes it both such a popular career choice and difficult – for some – to stay true to that ‘expose the truth’ moralistic ethos you might start with.

Reporting in the internet age

At the NetHui event in Auckland last week some of the discussions touched on the real issues that I think brought the NOTW down – how to compete with other global media in the internet age, how to get that content exclusive that will bring print readers and digital eyeballs to devour your advertising. At NetHui it was ways to expand access to Sky TV content online and the perceived power of the Facebook petition that generated debate.

Murdoch has faced this content distribution issue head on in the UK by wrapping a paywall around The Times website, abandonning search engine and casual surfer traffic for paying subscribers. It was a bold move which has drawn a lot of criticism and I don’t know if it’s really worked the way he must have hoped – to replace revenue lost by the gradual cannabalisation of your display and classified advertising market by internet giants and new start-ups alike.

How do mainstream media groups used to controlling the flow of information adapt to the challenges of new business models that shift so rapidly?

I can still remember watching Citizen Kane for the first time (confession number 4: what a dull movie I thought at the age of 19) and the portrayl of a ruthless American media baron – those days of top down control are going if not well gone and so these organisations are facing the challenge of how to stay relevant. Let’s buy MySpace!

Even Oprah in the US has sought more control of her brand and ways to monetize herself by dumping the major networks and setting up a cable channel and other distribution platforms.

A decline in standards?

Many people like to champion the internet for democritising our lives – now everyone can be a citizen journalist, blogger and crowdsourced content creator. I’d argue that could be one of the reasons why the News of the World decided to drop some of that editorial integrity and hack into the mobile voicemail messages of private citizens – to compete nowadays you need those hard to get exclusives.

What this has also done though is to speed up the reporting process with modern newsroom reporters expected to file multiple stories and constantly stay abreast of developments on Twitter and other networks. The genteel, in-depth reporting days of Woodward and Bernstein are over.

As a result some would suggest that copy and pasting press releases has grown into an editorial artform and the days of checking facts and sources is behind us.

For educators – and so for NetSafe – what this means is the pressing need to create new generations of digital citizens who understand the commercial presures affecting main stream media and online resources alike (Wikipedia for my homework, yay!).

Digital literacy – the ability to digest and see the wider picture around information – is going to be a key skill for 21st century children.

And with that rant over my confession ends. Time for a nice cup of tea and quick read of the newspaper.

As NetSafe staff speak with lots of school age children (and educators), we’re often exposed to views that differ from our own, in part due to an age gap, and the notion of privacy has surely evolved for tech savvy teens happy to share their lives online.

Just today, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been quoted as describing Facebook as “the most appalling spying machine ever invented” in an interview with Russia Today.

The New York Daily News story goes on to say he refers to the popular social networking site as one of the top tools for the U.S. to spy on its citizens:

“Here we have the world’s most comprehensive database about people, their relationships, their names, their addresses, their locations, their communications with each other and their relatives, all sitting within the United States, all accessible to US Intelligence,” he said. “Facebook, Google, Yahoo, all these major U.S. organizations have built-in infaces for US intelligence.

The Saturday Night Live sketch comparing Assange and Zuckerburg:

I believe for many younger people (I’d clump them together as the X-Factor/Pop Idol generation) that exposure to popular TV shows and other media has created the notion that success (and fame) can be gained through building your own personal brand, by getting your name out there and making friends and influencing people.

Now Dale Carnegie wrote the book How to Win Friends and Influence People all the way back in 1937 so can we really say that times have changed?

I believe we can – even 20 years ago publishing as a concept was a top down, centrally controlled operation where newspaper and book editors and TV channel execs called the shots and decided what made the news, got screentime or made it onto the bestseller lists.

In 2011 anyone can share their thoughts and dreams, publish a manifesto and also expose their darkest secrets should they – or others – wish.

Back in 1999 I worked for one of the largest internet companies in the world providing community homepage building services to people keen to build websites about their family, their hobbies and their pets. Modelled on Geocities, this UK start-up let you easily build a simple, template driven website in exchange for displaying banner ads to visitors.

It was perhaps a new (and short lived) business model where ‘citizens’ of this online city were encouraged to cluster around shared topics and themes, publish stuff and connect, kind of like the social networks of today.

1999 was also the year that blogging went mainstream and anyone could create an online diary or weblog to publish to the world.

Twelve years on and a 13 year old child of one of my Facebook friends has taken this process further by publishing a whole array of thoughts, experiences and pictures on the site through an open profile with more than 500 friends and a possible world of watchers.

When I suggested to him locking down his profile, he couldn’t grasp why that move would do anything but restrict the opportunity to make new friends.

It’s something Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg famously commented on back in January:

People have really gotten comfortable not only sharing more information and different kinds, but more openly and with more people. That social norm is just something that has evolved over time.

The Wikipedia entry on privacy describes the term as being a Western notion, often without equal in some cultures, with the first publication advocating privacy in the United States – by Samuel Warren and Louis Brandeis – being published way back in 1890.

The concept of privacy as a natural right to “be left alone” has of course evolved since then and new technology has always been seen to have brought with it new threats to retaining privacy.

But in this 21st century world is the concept now dead in the water given the numerous ways corporate and governmental organisations have to monitor our activities and the fact that a new generation of young people seem to be actively avoiding being ‘left alone’?

One Facebooker responding to the Assange story commented:

Every time you use a credit card, log into a website, buy anything on-line or a store you are giving away information about yourself. It’s known as data mining and has been going on for years.

There’s no need to get paranoid about it. it’s a… fact of modern life and we have to get used to it. The only way to get away from it is to live in a cave and grow your own food; but some nosy busybody will have that logged on a computer somewhere as well.

Should we therefore give up and accept defeat? It’s a discussion I think will be actively explored at July’s NetHui.

Updated: A tip off from someone connected with privacy in NZ – The Onion News Network’s tongue in cheek take on Facebook being the CIA’s greatest success

Social networking - how safe are you? Take the online survey

This week is Privacy Awareness Week, an international event designed to promote awareness of privacy rights and responsibilities with a focus this year on social networking.

It’s a topical subject given last week’s data breach at Sony and the need to alert millions of people globally around the dangers of identity theft.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner, which is running the event in New Zealand, is working on two streams for the event:

1. for corporates the issues around offshoring and cloud computing. This is something that will become more mainstream given the rise of centralised software as a service and the storage of customer data outside New Zealand. It’s an issue Rick Shera, the Chairman of NetSafe, will also be discussing later in May at the next New Zealand Information Security Forum (NZISF) meeting.
2. privacy and social networking. Again, a very topical subject given recent media stories on abuse of Facebook profiles and pages and the application of common user behaviour to other social sites.

You can help out the Commissioner and APPA (Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities) by taking the ‘How private is your profile?’ survey online.

And if you’re concerned about identity theft then check out their online ID Theft Tool