Michael Geist

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Is Bell’s Plan to Monitor and Profile Canadians Legal?

Last week, Bell announced plans to implement new consumer monitoring and profiling practices that would greatly expand how it uses the information it collects on millions of subscribers. The planned scope of Bell’s profiling is unprecedented in Canada, reflecting the power of a vertically-integrated media giant to effortlessly track their customers’ location, media habits, search activity, website interests, and application usage.

My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes the Bell plan generated a significant public backlash with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada launching an immediate investigation. Yet the company steadfastly defended its plans, saying that users are supportive of the new policy and maintaining that it is fully compliant with Canadian law.

October 29, 2013 — 20 comments — Columns

Canada May Be Nearing the Open Access “Tipping Point”

The power of the Internet to shake up well-established industries has become a common theme in recent years as many businesses struggle to compete with new entrants and technologies. While it has captured limited attention outside of educational circles, the Internet has facilitated the emergence of open access publishing of research, transforming the multi-billion dollar academic publishing industry and making millions of articles freely accessible to a global audience.

My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that “Open Access Week”, which is used by supporters to raise awareness of the benefits of open publishing, is being marked at university campuses around the world this week just as a Canadian study confirmed a global open access tipping point and Canada’s major research funding agencies prepare to mandate open access publishing for grant recipients across the country.

October 24, 2013 — Comments are Disabled — Columns

Bell Claims Users Want to Be Monitored, Profiled and Tracked

The reports that Bell is updating its privacy policy to allow for the use of a wide range of personal data collected from Internet and mobile phone usage has generated enormous public concern, an investigation from the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, and claims from Bell that its customers want to […]

October 23, 2013 — 43 comments — News

BCCLA Files Lawsuit Over CSEC Surveillance

The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association has filed a lawsuit against the Communications Security Establishment Canada over its surveillance practices, which it argues are unconstitutional. Statement of claim is here, press release here, and media coverage here.

October 23, 2013 — Comments are Disabled — News

The Great Canadian Personal Data Grab Continues: Bell Expands Its Consumer Monitoring and Profiling

Last week, I wrote about the Great Canadian personal data grab, focusing on the expansive data collection habits of RBC (with its Android app) and Aeroplan (with its collection of all credit card transaction data). Now comes news that Bell is getting into the personal data grab game with an updated privacy policy that takes effect in mid-November. The new Bell “privacy” policy expands the uses of the information the company collects by focusing on ways to use data on network usage. The current policy makes no reference to network usage data, but the company now wants to use a wide range of personal data collected from Internet and mobile phone usage.

Bell identifies the following data for expanded usage:

Web pages visited from your mobile device or your Internet access at home.â€¨ This may include search terms that have been used.
Location
App and device feature usage
TV viewing
Calling patterns

Bell will also begin to use account data such as which products you use, device types, payment patterns, language preferences, gender, and age.

The scope of Bell’s intended personal data usage is remarkable. Given that many of its customers will have bundled Internet, wireless, and television services, the company will be tracking everything: which websites they visit, what search terms they enter, what television shows they watch, what applications they use, and what phone calls they make. All of that data will be correlated with their location, age, gender, and more.

October 21, 2013 — 55 comments — News