A Movement To Bake Online Privacy Into Modern Life, 'By Design'

As we become a more digitally connected society, one question has become increasingly pervasive: Is the expectation of privacy still reasonable? Ann Cavoukian, the privacy commissioner for Ontario, Canada, thinks so.

She contends that privacy — including privacy online — is foundational to a free society. She developed a framework for approaching privacy issues back in the 1990s that's been recognized around the world. Her approach of seven principles, called "Privacy By Design," advocates that tech designers and engineers need to bake privacy provisions into their products and work from the start, not as an afterthought.

The seven principles:

1. Proactive not Reactive; Preventative not Remedial
2. Privacy as the Default Setting
3. Privacy Embedded into Design
4. Full Functionality – Positive-Sum, not Zero-Sum
5. End-to-End Security – Full Lifecycle Protection
6. Visibility and Transparency – Keep it Open
7. Respect for User Privacy – Keep it User-Centric