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7 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,January 24,2019 insidehalton.com Since 1991 220 Randall Street, Downtown Oakville 905-842-2100 peterwatsoninvestments.com Thinking of Retiring… Someday? Let's Talk. Visit our website to sign up for a free consultation. Peter Watson MBA, CFP, R.F.P., CIM, FCSI Jennifer Watson MBA CHINESE NEW YEAR LUNCH CELEBRATION CYNTHIA'S CHINESE RESTAURANT 2460 NEYAGAWA BLVD FEBRUARY 5TH, 12:00 NOON LIMITED SEATING; RSVP IS REQUIRED! CALL TRISH AT (905) 542-9000 TO RSVP! GOLFZONTM simulator Red Seal Chef Heated, indoor Saltwater Pool Bistro Café and Licensed Pub Big-screen Theatre Vibrant Independent Living, plus Assisted Living suites Three meals daily, freshly prepared by a Red Seal Chef Bright & spacious 2 bedroom, 1 bedroom plus den, 1 bedroom, and studio suites And so much more! MOVE-IN 2019! Future Address: 1 Sixteen Mile Dr, Oakville, ON (905) 542-9000 vivalife.ca Making Today Great! Licensed Pub Artist rendering. Subject to change. A retirement lifestyleworthy of its Oakville address. Oakville's premier all-inclusive retirement lifestyle has arrived. Data Privacy Day is held every year on Jan. 28. This is the day that many countries around the world focus on how technology is impact- ing our privacy rights and the importance of protect- ing our personal informa- tion. Learning more about the modern-day risks of having our financial assets stolen electronically is in every- one's best interest. Historically, one manner of theft was having someone break into your house and steal your TV and jewelry. That still happens but the smart criminals know there are far better opportunities. Criminals around the world want to steal your identity. Once that has been accomplished, they can use the information to steal your financial assets.financial assets.f At least when your TV was stolen you realized right away you had been a victim.away you had been a victim.a With a cybercrime you canWith a cybercrime you canW be oblivious to the theft as it is happening and possibly for some time afterward. for some time afterward. f The Privacy and Access Council of Canada website has some interesting infor- mation. Data Privacy Day started in Canada and Unit- ed States in January 2008. However, the concerns of da- ta privacy have existed for decades. European countries signed a legally binding in- ternational treaty dealing with privacy and data pro- tection in 1981. That tells us data privacy risks are not new. An obvious question is: Why, suddenly, should we be so concerned about data pri- vacy if that risk has been around for so long? The simple answer is technology. Everyone un- derstands our lives are so much easier now with sim- ple-to-use advanced tech- nology. It seems nothing is impossible these days. That same advanced technology is being used by some very sophisticated criminal elements. Crime centres that prey on unsus- pecting victims are well fi- nanced, technologically ad- vanced, have well-qualified trained staff, and are ex- tremely profitable. Feedback we have hadFeedback we have hadF from law enforcement offi-from law enforcement offi-f cers is that this type of crim- inal activity is very hard to combat. Many crime cen- tres that are stealing from Canadians are located out- side our country, which compounds the complexity of law-enforcement. Next week this column will include some practical tips on how to protect your- self from cybercrime. Peter Watson, of Peter Watson Investments MBA, CFP®, R.F.P., CIM, FCSI offers a weekly financial planning column, Dollars & Sense. He can be contact- ed through www.peterwat- soninvestments.com. OPINION DATA PRIVACY DAY ON JAN. 28 CRIMINAL ACTIVITY VERY HARD TO COMBAT, WRITES WATSON PETER WATSON Column