Want to cross the border faster when you’re traveling? Who doesn’t, right?

That is, when we finally start to really travel again. My inaugural flight will be the one I take to D.C. for the IAPP Global Privacy Summit, and I can’t wait.

Well, the kinds of much-needed efficiencies in travel — especially air travel — certainly don’t come for free, at least from a privacy perspective.

There was an interesting story by the CBC this week about how the Canada Border Services Agency is planning all sorts of modernizations, many of which have privacy implications. There seems to be an expansion of the ArriveCan application, facial recognition for NEXUS travelers, an advance declaration system and plans for new analytics activities. That’s a pretty long list. It’ll be interesting to see how things unfold and whether the CBSA will be able to advance these things in a way that people and regulators will support.

How much would you be willing to give up for a streamlined approach to travel, and what would you impose on the CBSA to keep things in line?

You all know I’m a big privacy nerd, but at the same time, I don’t see privacy as a right that’s absolute. This CBSA issue is yet another good example of how, in various circumstances, we really have to look at balancing the tradeoffs and at how great goals can be achieved, using new technologies and implementing them with a proportionate or minimal level of intrusion.

This is one of the many things I love about working in privacy and that I think makes it a super interesting profession every single day. And I’m not alone. Our profession is growing by leaps and bounds, and I think once people join our ranks, they tend to stick around. There’s a reason for that. I think it’s something in the Kool-Aid.

On that note, I want to wish you a very happy Data Privacy Day!