Friday is usually a very busy day on social media, as plans are made and spirits are high. So before you get into it today, consider some of these studies, as a professional “e-tox” might be in order. There are impacts on our privacy, health, levels of concentration and employers. But what happens when you stop being connected? The concept of a tech-fast horrifies many. Yet the e-tox not only preserves your ability to communicate with real people in the terrestrial world, but also helps to maintain your control about who sees what and, by this account, is quite relaxing.

Security is the sine qua non of privacy, and the risks of malware raise their head again with a recent cyberattck at JP Morgan & Co and an embarrassing leak of the defence department metadata wish list highlights its value. The importance of passwords is grudgingly acknowledged as a part of our security protocols, although the advent of a better solution is toasted by DoubleClick.

Blackberry, widely hailed in the past as the secure mobile option, is now getting the thumbs-up for innovation in the terrestrial world from one of our Australian security experts and iappANZ members, Stephen Wilson. In fact, it seems to be Wilson’s week as he has also posted an excellent article on the hot topic of engineers and privacy on our iappANZ Linked In site. If we can’t translate the concepts better for these guys, the security platforms for privacy can’t be guaranteed.

In health privacy news, the cost of stolen health records is considered, and there was a leak about a report by the NZ Office of the Privacy Commissioner into some shared record programmes. The final results of this report will be of particular interest to Australians who are currently reviewing the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record.

In other New Zealand news, Privacy Commissioner John Edwards is using his blog to communicate how his offices work, and in one instance a declination to investigate a complaint made by a political party in a time when the general election is in the news. The “naming and shaming” approach for agencies in breach of the Privacy Act is being given a shot, too. 

Thank goodness the end is in sight for the metadata stories of the last month; even the most disinterested Australian could now define metadata. But there are a few more perspectives this week, including a call for data retention to be extended beyond ISPs.

Finally, on a lighter note, have you ever considered the privacy of your dog? Probably not. But, a couple of our iappANZ Board members have murmured about it, so I will include this story. You can now wire up Fido with GoPro cameras and record every instant of his adventures. Unless you are lucky enough to own animals like the pets in The Incredible Journey, though, I wouldn’t recommend it. My British Bull Terrier definitely lacks that Disney spirit.