June 1-7 is Privacy & Security Awareness Week! Learn how to avoid the most common information privacy breaches and enter to win a $25 Starbucks gift card.

An information privacy breach often occurs unwittingly. Sometimes personal information is accessed without authorization, not properly destroyed or disclosed inappropriately. This can negatively affect patients and also result in serious consequences for staff. Read the examples and then do the short online quiz to enter the draw. Have fun!

*We’ve altered details in these examples to protect individuals’ privacy.

Example 1: “Our construction company for the past three years has received confidential faxes due to the incorrect fax in the database.”

A private, BC-based construction company has repeatedly received faxes meant for physicians working out of ABC Medical Clinic in the Lower Mainland. This has happened on multiple occasions over the course of three years as a result of human error: clerks misreading the fax number or entering the fax number incorrectly.

Example 2: “Thieves stole a digital camera that may have contained your picture, first and last name, and CareCard number. Unfortunately, the RCMP has been unable to locate the camera.”

A camera containing patients’ personal information, including pictures, names and CareCard numbers, was recently stolen from a VCH facility. The camera contained over 300 pictures, many of which were more than a year old. This privacy breach could have been avoided by following Standard Operating Procedure for digital cameras: uploading the photos to a computer every two weeks and deleting the images from the camera.

When in doubt

If you are in doubt about whether your actions or those of someone you know might be a breach of information or privacy, contact the Information Privacy Office to talk about it.

Quiz and prize draw

You will be asked to provide your name and health authority email address to be entered into the draw for a Starbucks gift card. The deadline to enter is June 7.

For more information visit our website or email us with questions.