Transparency: If you are asked to provide your personal information or consent, think about privacy.  What is being asked for, and how will it be used?

Accountability: Our personal data encapsulates who we are – the requirements for protecting it should be high.  Expect accountability from organisations that hold this information.

Security: The best thing you can do for your personal information security is to be mindful, and informed.  Know your options, understand the technology you are using, and think before you act.

Privacy tips to help keep your personal information safe:

• Protect your data by looking at what information your devices and apps hold and can access, and remove permissions that overstep the mark.
• Check and consider credentials. This means both looking out for scammers and considering an organisation’s reliability before you hand over your information.
• Have strong and varied passphrases and enable multifactor authentication (MFA) if it is available.
• Be socially savvy – watch what you share on socials, and check your privacy settings.
• Do regular ‘health checks’ on any accounts with access to your finances.

Visit the Privacy Awareness Week website to find out more: paw.gov.au