Articles by: Michael Geist

Trio by Ian Muttoo (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/ij51E8

Why Bell’s Targeted Ad Approach Falls Short on Privacy

In October 2013, Bell announced the launch of a targeted advertising program that uses its customers’ personal information to deliver more “relevant advertising.” The announcement sparked hundreds of complaints with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and a filing by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre over the same issue with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that nearly a year and a half later, the complaints and filings remain unresolved. The CRTC case has succeeded in placing considerably more information on the public record, however, offering a better perspective on what Bell is doing and why its privacy approach falls short.

February 17, 2015 — 15 comments — Columns

Why Bell’s Targeted Ad Approach Falls Short on Privacy

Appeared in the Toronto Star on February 14, 2015 as Why Bell’s Targeted Ad Approach Falls Short on Privacy In October 2013, Bell announced the launch of a targeted advertising program that uses its customers’ personal information to deliver more “relevant advertising.” The announcement sparked hundreds of complaints with the […]

February 17, 2015 — 1 comment — Columns Archive

The '67 Leafs on the Stanley Cup by Scazon (CC BY 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/5Criwf

Why the Copyright Board of Canada Needs a Leafs-Style Tear-Down

In recent weeks, there has been growing talk of the need for the Toronto Maple Leafs to engage in full scale demolition of the current roster (as a long-suffering Leaf fan, I approve). The call for an overhaul comes as fans recognize that minor tinkering has resulted in years of mediocrity and that real change requires more drastic reforms. While the Leafs and the Copyright Board of Canada operate in entirely different worlds, they share a key similarity: the desperate for a complete reset.

The problems with the Copyright Board have been well-chronicled: the industry has been unhappy with many of its decisions (see the Tariff 8 decision), its rulings on fair dealing have been firmly rejected by the Supreme Court of Canada (“flawed”, “unreasonable” and “skewed” were some of the comments), it has been forced to admit errors that resulted in procedural unfairness, its processes are flawed, its decision making takes years, and the public is largely excluded from the process. As I noted last year:

February 13, 2015 — Comments are Disabled — News

Extremely Urgent by Allan Reyes (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/8tEboQ

The Nine Year Wait For Government Urgency on Privacy Reform

The Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology started its study on Bill S-4, the PIPEDA reform bill, last week. While news reports suggested that Industry Minister James Moore was open to changes, government MPs warned that any amendments would mean the bill would go back to the Senate for approval and likely die with the fall election. For example, MP Mark Warawa stated:

Minister, if we were to then delay and amend, would S-4 then have to go back to the Senate to get passed? My concern is – this is needed and a vast majority of Canadians want this passed – if we amend it, what’s the chance of it passing in this Parliament? Because, it’s needed.

Moore acknowledged that MPs can suggest reforms, but emphasized that “there is some urgency.”

The government’s sense of urgency with the PIPEDA reform bill is striking given that it has largely stalled progress on the key provisions in this bill for years. In fact, in one instance it left a privacy bill sitting for two years in the House of Commons with no movement whatsoever until it died with prorogation. The historical background behind Bill S-4 is as follows:

February 11, 2015 — 2 comments — News

Why Better Oversight Won’t Fix Internet Surveillance and the New Anti-Terrorism Bill

Appeared in the Toronto Star on February 7, 2015 as Mere Oversight Won’t Fix Tory Surveillance Bill The past ten days have been a difficult time for Canadians concerned with privacy and civil liberties. Strike one came with new Edward Snowden revelations regarding Canada’s role in the daily tracking of […]

February 10, 2015 — 4 comments — Columns Archive