Privacy Matters

Privacy and Security Community of Practice article I Sharon Campbell

The OAIC (Office of the Australian Information Commissioner) has their annual Privacy Awareness Week coming up from May 1-7, 2023. The theme this year is ‘Back to Basics’. A theme that I wholeheartedly support. Our world has changed enormously since the days when phones were attached to our walls! We can be hacked from anywhere and our most private moments exposed, including potential access to health information. The internet was launched officially in 1983! With most use being taken up by people in the 1990’s, this system has grown enormously from niche use to generalised population use, making it more accessible and potentially dangerous.

Questions that the OAIC raise relate to how best protect privacy in an ever-increasing digital world. We need to get back to basics, remembering key important safety tips such as not clicking on unknown links or sharing information to an unsafe area. I hope that you can take the time to encourage your organization to partner with the OAIC during this week, https://www.oaic.gov.au/engage-with-us/events/privacy-awareness-week.

There are so many scams out there and a lot of people have fallen for these. It is very easy to click on a suspect link as it looks real. No-one is immune from these scams, but there are many ways that we can protect our hospitals. Check out https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/ for more information.

I think also that we need to get back to the basics of ensuring that our training is up to date for both new and existing staff, so adding cybersecurity modules there will assist. The Australian Digital Health Agency has a free training course on Digital Health Security Awareness eLearning course-available at: https://training.digitalhealth.gov.au/? They also have many other resources that you can access for free, such as podcasts and webinars. I have undertaken the Digital Health Security Awareness eLearning course and it is a fantastic resource especially for administrative staff. Clear and easy to follow, plus interactive quizzes etc. It is a timely reminder for all staff and one that you could build into your training program plus use as evidence for Accreditation (Action 1.16/1.17).

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