Jason Brown, Acting Chief Digital Health Officer
Alister Whitta, Chief Finance and Corporate Officer
Working in the Queensland public sector, we all have a responsibility to uphold privacy rights, and protect and respect personal information. Rapidly changing technology has an impact on people’s personal information and how agencies protect it. Collectively as an organisation, we need to be proactive and vigilant so personal information remains safe, protected, and respected.
Next week, Queensland celebrates Privacy Awareness Week, an annual event to raise awareness of privacy issues and the importance of protecting personal information. This year’s theme is ‘Privacy 101: Back to basics’, and is an opportunity to share these tips with you:
- Update your privacy and security settings on all your devices.
- Be mindful of what you share on social media about yourself and others and share with care.
- Use multi-factor authentication to better protect your online accounts.
- Be wary of public wi-fi and avoid using it for things like internet banking.
- When you sign up for a new service or app, be sure you know what you’re agreeing to in the terms and conditions.
- Be wary of suspicious emails and text messages. Check links by hovering your mouse over them and never share account information if requested. Report all suspicious emails by clicking the Phishing button in Outlook.
Metro North has developed a Privacy and Confidentiality training course which outlines your responsibilities when handling personal information and confidential patient information. The course is available to all staff and can be found here. You can find out more about Privacy Awareness Week and listen to a Department of Health panel session about recent data breaches here, or access additional resources through QHEPS.
Alister and Jason.