Tag: Canada

(Jan 17, 2020) Most privacy laws around the world provide for a right of access to one’s personal information. We’ve had that component in our public and private sector laws for quite some time. In the United States, it is a newer idea, and I know that organizations subject to, for example, the new California Consumer Privacy Act are scrambling to deal with access requests. One industry in Canada that has experience dealing with access requests is the telecommunications industry. The vast majority of these re... Read More

(Jan 17, 2020) Statistics Canada is in the planning stages of moving data to the digital cloud, and the agency is acknowledging the data security concerns this could raise, 570 News reports. Only “non-sensitive, unclassified information” is currently being stored in the cloud, according to Spokesman Peter Frayne. Protected information will be migrated when systems “have been deemed secure for cloud services appropriate for sensitive information,” he said. In internal notes obtained through the Access to Inform... Read More

(Jan 17, 2020) Following a complaint by the Centre for Digital Rights, the Competition Bureau of Canada is looking into the Liberal, Conservative and New Democratic political parties for unregulated harvesting and misuse of Canadians’ personal information, CTV News reports. The center’s complaint alleges the parties engaged in “big data mass surveillance and harvesting techniques” and “large scale misuse of big data and targeted digital advertising.” Competition Bureau Senior Communications Advisor Marie-Chris... Read More

(Jan 17, 2020) The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Newfoundland and Labrador is investigating a data breach of a city's website, Insurance Business Canada reports. The city of Corner Brook found four unauthorized users accessed its website's directory. The directory contained residents' names, addresses and birthdates. The information of 10,000 people may have been exposed in the breach. City officials could not confirm whether personal information was viewed during the incident. "We have... Read More

(Jan 13, 2020) In this week’s Privacy Tracker global legislative roundup, the European Parliament held discussions on the EU's third annual Privacy Shield review, and the U.K. Information Commissioner's Office dished out a 500,000 GBP data breach fine. A South Korean privacy officer was charged with negligence and fined for his role in a data breach. In the U.S., Facebook's $5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission remains under a District Court review, California drew up an advisory to highlight... Read More

(Jan 13, 2020) In this week’s Privacy Tracker global legislative roundup, the European Parliament held discussions on the EU's third annual Privacy Shield review, and the U.K. Information Commissioner's Office dished out a 500,000 GBP data breach fine. A South Korean privacy officer was charged with negligence and fined for his role in a data breach. In the U.S., Facebook's $5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission remains under a District Court review, California drew up an advisory to highlight... Read More

(Jan 10, 2020) There are a few reporters in Canada who cover the privacy industry. Jim Bronskill is one of them. If you don’t already follow him, you should. For at least 20 years, from what I can tell, he has done a good job understanding and covering information rights. He even has an access-to-information book out there, if you’re interested.  I mention Jim in particular because we feature an article of his this week in the digest below. He studied the Privacy Commissioner’s Annual Report (tabled just befo... Read More

(Jan 10, 2020) Privacy Commissioner of Canada Daniel Therrien said the Border Services Agency violated federal law in overly invasive searches of cellphones, tablets and laptop computers, the Times Colonist reports. Therrien reviewed six citizens’ complaints that their devices were searched upon returning home from abroad, giving border officers access to documents, text messages, photos and banking details. The complaints were “well-founded,” said Therrien, who recommended writing guidelines regulating device... Read More

(Jan 3, 2020) It is the first week of January and a brand-new decade full of possibilities.  According to my (very rigorous) research, for those who make resolutions, these are the most popular: lose weight, exercise more, advance professionally, spend more time with family and friends, quit bad habits, like smoking and drink less alcohol (wow, is "dry January" ever popular!), save more money, learn something new, read more and volunteer to help a cause. I personally find this list too overwhelming, and I a... Read More

(Jan 3, 2020) In an op-ed for The Globe and Mail, University of Victoria Political Science Professor Colin Bennett writes that in assessing reforms to Canada's privacy laws, politicians need to consider incorporating regulations on themselves and political parties in general. "Privacy laws apply to political parties in most other democracies," Bennett writes. "They apply in British Columbia. There is no credible reason why they should not also apply at the federal level." Bennett adds there's no shortage of e... Read More