Who doesn’t have a handful of apps on their phone? And what business hasn't contemplated an app to deliver a product or service?
Gosh, I think I downloaded two new apps in the past week alone. Yesterday, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada released two mobile app-themed blog posts. These come on the one-year anniversary of the investigation results of the Tim Hortons app fiasco, where the usually-beloved restaurant chain collected vast amounts of sensitive geolocation data of its customers without proper notification or consent.
One post sets out 10 takeaways for businesses using apps that collect data. It offers insight into what the federal regulator is expecting when it comes to these technologies. There are no big surprises, but what stands out for me is the emphasis on ensuring the collection of data by the app would meet the reasonable person's test and on limiting the collection to what is appropriate, legitimate and necessary.
The second post provides a few helpful, concrete tips for people to protect their privacy while downloading an app. There's a good focus on adjusting different types of settings to minimize what the app can access, such as other accounts, web history, location and so on.
On a different subject altogether, while work gatherings tend to slow down during the summer months, the season can also be a fun time to meet up with other privacy pros in your area. I recently attended a gathering of privacy pros in my hometown, Ottawa. It's always great to see familiar and new faces at these things which, to me, signals that our profession continues to grow and attract talent. We met to celebrate the retirement of privacy pro-Barbara Bucknell. If you know Barb, then you know that in her more than 20 years in privacy, she has worn a bunch of different hats — as an investigator, a special advisor to then-Assistant Commissioner Elizabeth Denham, a policy analyst and then head of research and policy at the OPC. She has also worked in privacy with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Treasury Board Secretariat and Innovation, Science And Economic Development. She is one of those people who has quietly played a critical role in many things, such as the landmark 2009 Facebook investigation, guidelines on accountability and behavioral advertising, a 30-year retrospective of the OECD privacy guidelines, and a little 'ol thing called privacy law reform, just to name a few. Please join me in wishing Barb all the best! And this serves as a little reminder that if there’s a privacy gathering near you this summer, I encourage you to join in if you can.
Meanwhile, enjoy Canada Day!