Privacy Commissioner - Te Mana Matapono Matatapu

International Working Group on Data Protection in Telecommunications (IWGDPT)

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner participates in the International Working Group on Data Protection in Telecommunications (IWGDPT). The group meets periodically throughout the year in member countries, and members have developed common positions on a wide range of issues.

IWGDPT working papers and common position papers are available from the International Working Group on Data Protection in Telecommunications (IWGDPT) website (off-site link).

IWGDPT and cyber cafes - the caching of personal information in a web browser cache

One such issue illustrates well the way in which the group works. We are very much aware of theft of personal information and identity theft. Theft of information can take place from web browser software that stores this information in the web browser cache. This problem particularly affects PCs shared in public spaces. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner raised the problem as an issue that cyber café operators should address as an aspect of security and privacy best practice. The Office presented a paper about this which IWGDPT subsequently adopted.

The paper is available below (PDF 2 pages)