Last week I participated in a terrific public forum on privacy and security for CBC’s The Sunday Edition. The forum was held at the Library and Archives Canada and attracted an amazing number of people for a Monday night (it was edited and broadcast last Sunday morning). Hosted by Michael […]
Wiertz Sebastien - Privacy by Sebastien Wiertz (CC BY 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/ahk6nh
Privacy
LSAT Fingerprinting Tests the Limits of Privacy Law
My weekly Law Bytes column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) examines the growing controversy over the mandatory fingerprinting of students taking the LSAT. There has been swift reaction to the thumb-printing story, with the federal, British Columbia, and Alberta Privacy Commissioners joining forces in a combined privacy investigation. Moreover, the Canadian Council of Law Deans, which represents law schools across the country, has expressed concern over the practice, acknowledging that the data could be subject to a USA Patriot Act request. The Council raised questions about whether the practice might violate federal and provincial privacy statutes.
It’s Baaack: Day Calls National ID Card Inevitable
Stockwell Day, Canada’s new minister of public security, has raised the prospect of creating a national ID card. Again. This issue was a pet project of former Liberal Minister Denis Coderre, who pushed for a national ID card that would be expensive, provide little additional security, create new privacy risks, and would remove rights to remain anonymous.
Sony Hit With Another Canadian Class Action Lawsuit
Sony Canada has been hit with another class action suit arising from last year's rootkit fiasco. This suit is particularly interesting for a pair of reasons. First, it contains new allegations about Sony's conduct in Canada. In particular, it alleges: Sony released at least 34 titles in Canada with sales […]
The Risks and Rewards of Data Retention
My weekly Law Bytes column (Toronto Star version, freely available version, BBC version) examines the U.S. Department of Justice’s demand for search data from the world’s leading search engines. I argue that while much of the focus has been on the privacy implications of the USDOJ request, the story highlights […]
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