The Globe and Mail reports that Passport Canada has suffered a massive privacy breach that resulted in online availability of applicant information. I argue that this again highlights the need for mandatory security breach notification legislation. Update: The incident is raised during Question Period on the floor of the House […]
Wiertz Sebastien - Privacy by Sebastien Wiertz (CC BY 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/ahk6nh
Privacy
Private Email Not Always Hush Hush
My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, The Tyee version, Ottawa Citizen version, homepage version) begins by recounting that this past September, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency launched "Operation Raw Deal", an initiative that targeted people purchasing raw steroid materials through the Internet from China and repackaging the steroids as drugs for domestic sale. Tyler Strumbo, a 23-year old California resident, was among the 124 people arrested. The Strumbo case is of particular interest because of an important Canadian connection. The foundation of the DEA's case rested on hundreds of encrypted emails stored on the computer servers of Hush Communications, a company based in Vancouver. A British Columbia court ordered the company to decrypt the emails and to send them to the U.S. law enforcement officials. Faced with a valid court order, the company complied, shipping 12 CDs filled with unencrypted personal email to investigators in California.
Private Email Not Always Hush Hush
Appeared in the Toronto Star on November 26, 2007 as Private Email Is Not Always Hush Hush Appeared in the Tyee on November 27, 2007 as Private E-mail Not Hush Hush This past September, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency launched "Operation Raw Deal", an initiative that targeted people purchasing raw […]
Canada’s Identity Theft Bill: What It Says and What’s Missing
The federal government yesterday introduced much-needed identity theft legislation. Bill C-27 includes several important provisions focusing on identity theft such as trafficking in documents and identity information. Key provisions include: making, possessing, transferring, or selling "identity documents" of another person becomes an offence punishable with up to five years in […]
The Data Game
The CBC's The National featured a lengthy story by Keith Boag this evening on the collection and use of personal information by Canada's political parties. I was interviewed for the story, which highlights the use of detailed databanks with virtually no legal oversight. The story appears about midway through the […]
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The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 231: Sara Bannerman on How Canadian Political Parties Maximize Voter Data Collection and Minimize Privacy Safeguards 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 230: Aengus Bridgman on the 2025 Federal Election, Social Media Platforms, and Misinformation 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 229: My Digital Access Day Keynote – Assessing the Canadian Digital Policy Record
