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International Law

The Canadian Privacy Law Blog

The Canadian Privacy Law Blog: Developments in privacy law and writings of a Canadian privacy lawyer, containing information related to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (aka PIPEDA) and other Canadian and international laws.

Post Frequency: 2.3/day

Last Entry: October 07, 2020 at 10:02:01

Austrialian Commissioner seeks comments on draft breach notification guidelines

Posted on April 15, 2008
The Australian Privacy Commissioner has issued draft breach notification guidelines and is seeking comments by June 16, 2008. See: Voluntary Information Security Breach Notification Guide - Consultation Draft (April 2008).

Consumer groups urge "do not track" registry

Posted on April 15, 2008
According to Reuters, a number of consumer groups are lobbying the US Federal Trade Commission to estblish a "do not track" registry to prevent online advertisers from collecting information about consumers who opt out. See: Consumer groups urge "do not track" registry - Yahoo! News...

Toronto Police Chief calls for DNA samples regardless of conviction

Posted on April 12, 2008
CityNews in Toronto is reporting that the city's chief of police is calling for forced DNA samples for a national database even before an individual is convicted, and the retention of those samples even if the individual is acquitted. See: CityNews: Toronto Police Chief Calls For Forced DNA Samples...

B.C. introduces law governing access, privacy of electronic health records

Posted on April 11, 2008
British Columbia's government has just recently introduced legislation specifically tailored for privacy and access to electronic health records. E-HEALTH STATUTE INCREASES PATIENT ACCESS AND PRIVACY April 10, 2008 Ministry of Health E-HEALTH STATUTE INCREASES PATIENT ACCESS AND PRIVACY VICTORIA ? A new e-Health (Personal Health Information Access and Protection of Privacy) Act introduced today moves British Columbia a step closer to the goal of giving citizens access to their health records and medical information, while strengthening privacy protection, said Health Minister George Abbott...

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Big Brother is watching, but he doesn't seem to care

Posted on April 11, 2008
I was interviewed some time ago for a feature article in the Toronto Star on privacy issues associated with loyalty cards. These products are very popular in Canada, with Air Miles and Shopper's Drug Mart's Optimum card leading the way. Many of these programs have the potential to collect a vast amount of shopping data, but most of the companies interviewed by Paul Brent didn't really seem to care about collecting the sort of detailed individual data that most assume is being collected...

Privacy Commissioner's response to US Homeland Security Secretary's statement on biometrics

Posted on April 11, 2008
Jennifer Stoddart has released a letter addressed to Minister of Public Safety Stockwell Day in response to remarks made by the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security suggesting fingerprints are not ?personal data?.Letter to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada The Honourable Stockwell Day, P...

London beat cops upset over Big Brother surveillance scheme

Posted on April 11, 2008
Some people, I am sure, will savor the irony that many London police officers are complaining about creepy surveillance and Big Brother tactics inherent in a new technology that will allow desk-riding senior cops to keep tabs on the location and activities of cops on the beat...

Canadian companies global leaders in privacy

Posted on April 10, 2008
The Globe & Mail has an interesting article on Canadian privacy practices, based on a study from Forrester Research which says Canadian companies are global leaders in implementing privacy programs. See: globeandmail.com: Canadian firms putting a lock on data privacy...

The bottom's fallen out of the stolen data market

Posted on April 10, 2008
A scary example of the laws of supply and demand. Apparently stolen credit card data is so abundant on the black market, the price has fallen through the floor. See: Techdirt: Stolen Data So Plentiful, The Market For It Has Collapsed. Thanks to Rob Hyndman for sending the link to me...

Warrantless disclosure in the news

Posted on April 09, 2008
The trial of an accused trader in child pornography has brought the question of warrantless disclosure of ISP subscriber information to the national media's attention. It is understood to be the first time a superior court will consider whether basic subscriber information disclosed by an ISP without a warrant violates the Charter...

Surveillance cameras move crime in San Francisco

Posted on April 08, 2008
Whether widespread surveillance cameras actually work is often hotly debated. Some contend they counter crime while others contend that cameras only move it. Researchers at the University of California Berkeley have done a pretty intensive review of crime statistics in San Francisco related to the cameras in place in that city and have concluded, in a preliminary review, that they simply move crime out of view of the cameras...

Identity Theft Hearings at the Justice Committee

Posted on April 07, 2008
Sorry for the grossly misleading headline but I was similarly misled. Michael Geist and others were scheduled to testify before the House of Commons Justice Committee about the proposed anti-Identity Theft law, Bill C-27, but political idiocy meant that the hearings never happened...

An access odyssey in the UK

Posted on April 07, 2008
The Guardian has an interesting article on John Harris' odyssey of exercising his access rights under the Data Protection Act. He had quite an experience, between credit files he never knew existed and a mobile phone company that made up rules on the fly...

Incident: Tax files, private info turn up in Vancouver dumpster

Posted on April 07, 2008
In case you needed further proof that you must shred all personal information that you're disposing. Loads of personal tax information has surfaced after a high-profile accountant in Vancouver chucked it into a locked dumpster outside his offices:CTV British Columbia- Tax files, private info turn up in dumpster - CTV News, Shows and Sports -- Canadian Television ...

Leg@l.IT2008 in Montreal

Posted on April 07, 2008
If you haven't heard of it already, check out this year's Leg@l.IT2008 in Montreal at the Mount-Royal Center on April 21st, 2008. There are three tracks and the faculty looks pretty impressive (including your's truly). Register quickly before it is full! More details here: LEGAL...

Search engines warned over data

Posted on April 07, 2008
The BBC is reporting that the Article 29 Working Group in Europe is calling on search engines to render their logs anonymous after six months. BBC NEWS Technology Search engines warned over data ... The report from the Article 29 Data Protection Working Party said search engine providers had "insufficiently explained" why they were storing and processing personal data to their users...

Real Questions for Facebook?s Chief Privacy Officer

Posted on April 06, 2008
Michael Zimmer caught my link to the Times Online article with questions for Facebook's CPO. He points out that the questions are pretty easy. Instead, he proposes some real questions: michaelzimmer.org � Archives � Real Questions for Facebook?s Chief Privacy Officer...

Questions for Facebook's privacy officer

Posted on April 06, 2008
The Times Online has a few questions for the Chief Privacy Officer at Facebook. See: Q&A: Chris Kelly, chief privacy officer of Facebook - Times Online.

NIH forbids MacBooks for personal information processing

Posted on April 06, 2008
According to Informationweek, the US National Institutes of Health is forbidding employees and contractors from using Macintosh MacBooks for processing personal information due to a lack of encryption on the devices. See: U.S. Health Agency Forbids Sensitive Data On Apple MacBooks - Yahoo! News...

Commissioner investigates Human Rights Commission after unauthorized use of wireless network

Posted on April 06, 2008
The Privacy Commissioner of Canada is reported to be investigating whether an Ottawa woman's privacy was breached by an investigator from the Canada Human Rights Commission who used the woman's unsecured wireless network to visit and post on white supremacist websites...

Sexual Assault Kit Among Patient Records Discovered in Moose Jaw

Posted on April 06, 2008
Reecnt reports of abandoned or unsecured medical records in Saskatchewan have led to a rash of reports to the Privacy Commissioner of that province, including on report that 70 boxes of records are unattended in Moose Jaw. The records contain completed sexual assault kits, it is reported...

Dispute over costs holds up plan to reintroduce Internet policing legislation

Posted on April 05, 2008
It appears that "lawful access" is in the news again, at least with respect to the debate over who is to pay for forcing telcos to build intercept capabilities into their systems: Dispute over costs holds up plan to reintroduce Internet policing legislation The Harper government's plans to reintroduce legislation that would make it easier for law-enforcement agencies to monitor Internet and wireless communications have been held up by a dispute with industry over who should cover the costs, according to documents obtained by Canwest News Service...

Boring lawsuit over Gogole's "Street View"

Posted on April 05, 2008
(I couldn't resist.) Mr. and Ms. Boring of Pittsburgh is suing Google for intentional invasion of privacy since Google's Street View feature shows a picture of the home despite the fact that their street is marked as a private road. The Smoking Gun has the facts and their pleadings: Couple Sues Google Over "Street View" - April 4, 2008 APRIL 4--A Pittsburgh couple is suing Google for invasion of privacy, claiming that the web giant's popular "Street View" mapping feature has made a photo of their home available to online searchers...

TJX reaches tentative settlement with MasterCard

Posted on April 03, 2008
Shamed retailer TJX has reached a tentative settlement with MasterCard to the tune of $24 million, according to the Associated Press: The Associated Press: TJX Could Pay Another $24M for Breach BOSTON (AP) ? Discount retailer TJX Cos. could pay as much as $24 million in a settlement Wednesday with MasterCard Inc...

Atlantic Canadian RCMP say search warrants are a time consuming hurdle

Posted on April 02, 2008
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Atlantic Canada are complaining that the two major internet service providers in the region are requiring that police get a warrant before handing over customer information. The ISPs are of the view (correctly in my opinion) that the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act prevents them from disclosing subscriber information without a warrant...

Recording telephone calls could be a risky business

Posted on April 02, 2008
Brian T.D. Bowman, a friend and fellow privacy lawyer at Pitblado LLP in Winnipeg has a column in the Winnipeg Free Press on recording telephone calls. Check it out: Winnipeg Free Press: Recording telephone calls could be a risky business.

Tracking dots raise privacy concerns in Europe

Posted on April 01, 2008
David Canton's most recent column focuses on a recent European Union determination that printer tracking technology violates European privacy laws. More modern colour printers also print, in a hidden series of dots, the model, serial number and other information to permit law enforcement to track the origin of documents...

Software to protect toll payers' privacy

Posted on April 01, 2008
An Australian researcher says he has developed an anonymous electronic tolling system so that users of such systems don't leave a data trail of their travels. See: Software to protect toll payers' privacy Australian IT.

BC Commissioner's submissions on PIPA Review

Posted on April 01, 2008
The British Columbia Information and Privacy Commissioner has submitted a report to the Special Committee of the British Columbia Legislature to Review the Personal Information Protection Act (BC). The Commissioner has found that the Act was a balanced and effective law that did not require major changes...

Privacy commissioner raps home improvement retailer for collecting drivers licenses on product returns

Posted on April 01, 2008
The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta has ruled that Home Depot violated the Personal Information Protection Act (Alberta) when it collected and recorded a customer drivers license information in connection with a product return. The company's policy was that returns for purchases that were made with a debit card, even with a receipt, are treated as a "no receipt" return and the information is collected...

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