Privacy Commissioner: Personal information easily accessible when gaming online
Posted December 18, 2009 4:01 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – So you bought your child the latest video game console – but how are they using it? That’s what the Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner is asking parents to think about.
With many games allowing people to connect with each other online – it’s easy for personal information to slip out to the wrong person.
The Office’s Colin McKay says younger users may not realize how they’re interacting with strangers. “What sort of dangers or hazards that could introduce into their relationship, because they are just dealing with the tool in their hands. They don’t quite engage and realize that really they’re accessing a global network with a variety of people with a variety of intentions.”
He suggests before parents buy these games – they need to understand the capabilities of the products – like whether they have Wi-Fi access and whether kids are encouraged to join an online gaming network in support of that game.
