Wiertz Sebastien - Privacy by Sebastien Wiertz (CC BY 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/ahk6nh

Wiertz Sebastien - Privacy by Sebastien Wiertz (CC BY 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/ahk6nh

Privacy

61 Reforms to C-61, Day 30: TPMs – Anti-circumvention and Privacy

The inclusion of a privacy exception within Bill C-61's anti-circumvention provisions was not particularly surprising given that the U.S. DMCA includes one and there has been mounting concern about the privacy implications of DRM.  The issue has captured the attention of the Canadian privacy community for the past few years.  In 2006, a group of privacy and civil liberties organizations and experts sent a public letter to the responsible ministers calling for assurances that:

  1. any proposed copyright reforms will prioritize privacy protection by including a full privacy consultation and a full privacy impact assessment with the introduction of any copyright reform bill;
  2. any proposed anti-circumvention provisions will create no negative privacy impact; and
  3. any proposed copyright reforms will include pro-active privacy protections that, for example, enshrine the rights of Canadians to access and enjoy copyright works anonymously and in private.

The group (of which I am a member) sent a follow-up letter earlier this year as did Privacy Commissioner of Canada Jennifer Stoddart, who posted a public letter expressing concern that copyright reform could have a negative impact on privacy. Given those concerns, an exception to protect personal information is not unexpected. However, Section 41.14 fails to provide Canadians with full privacy protection and Bill C-61 unquestionably makes it more difficult for Canadians to effectively protect their privacy.  

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August 1, 2008 10 comments News

B.C. Civil Liberties Association on C-61

The B.C. Civil Liberties Association has adopted a position paper on C-61, warning of its effects on freedom of speech and privacy.

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August 1, 2008 Comments are Disabled News

CRTC Confirms Do-Not-Call Registry By September 30th

The CRTC has today confirmed that the national do-not-call registry will launch by September 30th.  Given the number of exempt organizations – registered charities, political parties, polling companies, newspapers, businesses with a prior business relationship – Canadians will still need to individually opt-out of hundreds of additional organizations for the […]

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July 30, 2008 12 comments News

CIPPIC Files More Complaints Over DPI

CIPPIC has filed several more complaints over the use of deep-packet inspection by Canadian ISPs and asked the Privacy Commissioner to investigate ISP use of DPI for behavioural targeting.

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July 28, 2008 2 comments News

CIRA’s Whois Debacle

I've written in the past about the hugely disappointing CIRA decision to backtrack on its WHOIS policy and create backdoor access for special interests.  CIRA has now posted the minutes (1, 2, 3) associated with the decision-making process and the deep divide within the board becomes immediately evident.  The minutes […]

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July 28, 2008 9 comments News