GOVERNMENT TO IMPLEMENT PRIVACY REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

The provincial government today announced it will implement all 11 main recommendations Deloitte & Touche made in its report. Deloitte & Touche was retained by government in June 2002 to conduct an internal review of government procedures and policies respecting protection of personal information following several breaches.

Information Technology Minister Andrew Thomson says the provincial government will examine the type of information it collects and the way it is managed as a result of the Deloitte & Touche review of protection of personal information in government.

Thomson said citizens have a right to have their private information protected and government has an obligation to review how it collects and manages that information.

"We are pleased that the Deloitte & Touche review concluded government is, on balance, doing a fair and reasonable job of managing the private information under its control," Thomson said. "We also recognize there is room for improvement and are prepared to move forward on adopting all of the recommendations contained in the consultant's report."

"More specifically, government will review the way it manages personal information. Matters to be considered include:

· Do we really need to collect all the information that we currently do?
· How do we inform people about the way the information we collect will be
used and could we do a better job of that?
· How long should we keep the data we have?
· Is the security specified in our outsourcing contracts adequate?
· What steps do we take to ensure the accuracy of the information we
retain?
· How often should we remind our staff about their responsibility to keep
personal information confidential?"

Justice Minister Eric Cline said his department will be one of the key parties as the government moves forward in implementing its privacy action plan.

"While this issue goes beyond information technology, hard drives and database access, we must renew our commitment to meeting the important goals of the Freedom of Information legislation in a new electronic age," Cline said.

Some of the major recommendations in the report suggest government should:

· Place limits on the use, sharing and retention of personal information.
· Develop a system for classifying the sensitivity of personal information.
· Conduct privacy awareness training sessions for all staff.
· Develop a privacy framework.
· Implement the information technology recommendations of the Provincial
Auditor.

The cost of conducting the seven-month review and preparing the 249-page report was $275,000.

An electronic copy of the report is available in Acrobat format at www.gov.sk.ca/main.html

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Kevin Wishlow Media Services Regina Phone: (306)787-0963 Cell: (306)539-7641