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Privacy Awareness Week 2024(27th May-2nd June)

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Privacy Awareness Week - Initiatives for 2024 (Table of Contents)

What is Privacy Awareness Week?

Each year, the members of Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities (APPA) set up a"Privacy Awareness Week (PAW)" to raise awareness of the protection of privacy and personal information.

As a member of APPA, the PPC Japan has been engaging in PAW activities, and intensifies its effort to raise awareness about the importance of personal information.

The theme of this year "Privacy and technology: Improving transparency, accountability and security"

Message from the Chairperson of the PPC Japan

portrait of Dr.Fujiwara

The Personal Information Protection Commission of Japan (PPC Japan) designates the period from May 27 to June 2, 2024 as this year’s Privacy Awareness Week and intensifies its efforts to disseminate information, etc. about the importance of personal information. As a member of the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities (APPA), the PPC Japan has been engaging in PR and awareness-raising activities continuously since 2018.

In the first half of FY 2023 (April 1 to September 30, 2023), the number of personal data leaks and other cases directly reported to the PPC Japan was 3,154, which is a significant increase from the same period in 2022 (1,587).　

Main causes included the wrong delivery or loss of documents containing sensitive personal information by hospitals and pharmacies, as well as unauthorized access through vulnerabilities in websites and networks.

To prevent unauthorized access, etc., it is important to take basic security measures.

For business operators, please take necessary and appropriate security control measures to prevent leaks of personal information. Please review the following security control measures once again.

  • Technological measures for managing the security of personal data
    • Introduce mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access, etc. from outside.
    • Implement appropriate access control.
  • Physical measures for managing the security of personal data
    • Implement appropriate management to prevent theft or loss, etc. of documents, electronic media (USB memory sticks, hard disks, etc.), or equipment used when handling personal data.

As generative AI and other information technology is becoming increasingly sophisticated, the handling of personal information is also becoming increasingly complex, and it is important to ensure transparency and provide necessary explanations to the individuals concerned.

Please verify once again that you are properly specifying, notifying, and publicizing the purpose of use of personal information as far as possible, and responding to requests for disclosure from individuals concerned, as part of the abovementioned efforts.

In addition, in view of robbery and special fraud cases in which the perpetrators were recruited through social networking services, our website lists alerts and offers educational materials on how to properly manage name lists or the like.

It is also essential that not just business operators but also individuals handle personal information with care.

To help each of you learn about the handling of personal information and the personal information protection system, our website offers educational videos, cartoons, pamphlets, and various other tools regarding social networking services, online games, and other typical everyday situations in which you should be careful with personal information.

It has been reported that children who use social networking service or online games without realizing the dangers may put names of themselves, friends, or schools, or post photos that may reveal their addresses, and some children may even get into danger through applications that share their location information.

Please take this opportunity to discuss rules with your family, for example, making sure that children first ask another family member when they use social networking services.

Used properly, personal information should make our lives more convenient and fulfilling. Please do continue to handle personal information in an appropriate manner.

If you have any question or concern about personal information, please see the FAQopen with another window section on our website, contact the “PPC Question Chat”, or ask our “Inquiry Line for Act on Protection of Personal Information”open with another window.

I sincerely hope that the Privacy Awareness Week will serve as an occasion for you to review how you handle personal information.

Dr. Shizuo FUJIWARA, Chairperson, PPC Japan

For Individuals

As part of our efforts to help every one of you to increase your awareness and understanding of the protection and use of personal information, we have created some game cards and a quiz.

They are also shown on our official YouTube channel published on Monday, May 27.

PPC Japan on YouTubeopen with another window

※For clarity, the terms used may be different from the definitions under the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI).

  • Work out rules for the use of social networking servies
    It has been reported that children who use social networking service or online games without realizing the dangers may put names of themselves, friends, or schools, or post photos that may reveal their addresses, and some children may even get into danger through applications that share their location information. Please take this opportunity to discuss rules with your family, for example, making sure that children first ask another family member when they use social networking services.
  • Can this identify a specific individual?
    “Personal information” under the APPI means information relating to a living individual that can be used to identify a specific individual by name, date of birth, or another description. Personal information also includes information that can be easily collated with other information to identify that specific individual. In addition, information containing individual identification codes also falls under personal information.
  • Is personal information already published in a newspaper or on the Internet protected by the APPI?
    • Answer yes
      Even publicly known information may lead to an infringement of individual rights and interests, depending on its purpose of use and how it is handled, such as by collating it with other personal information. For this reason,the APPI protects all personal information regardless of whether or not that information has already been publicized.
    • Answer A.
  • We offer explanations on the basics of the APPI in pamphlets, cartoons, and videos.
  • The official account of the PPC Japan on X provides a wide range of information on measures of the PPC Japan, as well as alert information.
    • Learn about personal information to use it correctly
      The PPC Japan has prepared pamphlets and other PR materials. They are available on our website. Pleasedo make use of them.

    • For Business Operators

    For School Officials and Parents (Materials for Children)

    We offer materials for children and parents to think about the importance of personal information. In addition, we dispatch staff to elementary schools nationwide for on-demand classes on the “appropriate handling of personal information”. The on-demand classes are also offered online and for junior high or high schools. For details, see the Kids’ Pages

    Poster and Movies on the Privacy Awareness Week

    Here is a poster on the Privacy Awareness Week. Please feel free to download it.

    Here are videos on the Privacy Awareness Week (for station, airport, and outdoor ads)

    Previous Privacy Awareness Weeks