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

Privacy Commissioners Warn Google on Privacy Practices

Privacy commissioners from around the world have issued a public letter expressing concern with Google's privacy practices.  The letter is specifically focused on the Google Buzz product.

Read more ›

April 20, 2010 1 comment News

Alberta Privacy Commish Approves U of A Switch to Gmail

Alberta Privacy Commissioner Frank Work has granted approval to the University of Alberta to use Google's Gmail service.

Read more ›

April 13, 2010 2 comments News

State Farm Challenges Constitutionality of Canadian Privacy Law

Later this month, the Federal Court of Canada will hear a case in Halifax that threatens Canada's privacy law framework.  State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. is contesting the constitutional validity of Canada's private sector privacy legislation (PIPEDA), arguing it oversteps the federal government's jurisdictional power.  My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) argues that if successful, PIPEDA would no longer apply to thousands of Canadian businesses and new legislation such as the Electronic Commerce Protection Act (ECPA) would be imperilled.

The case stems from a dispute over an insurance claim arising from a March 2005 automobile accident. Gerald Gaudet, the injured party, asked State Farm to provide copies of all names, addresses, and phone numbers of anyone to whom it disclosed his personal information (State Farm had used a private investigator to conduct surveillance on Gaudet).  After State Farm refused to disclose the information, Gaudet filed a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

The Privacy Commissioner proceeded to launch an investigation into the case, asking State Farm to provide it with the requested information. The insurance company again refused, leading to the Federal Court case.

Read more ›

April 5, 2010 6 comments Columns

State Farm Challenges Constitutionality of Canadian Privacy Law

Appeared in the Toronto Star on April 5, 2010 as State Farm Challenges Canada's Privacy Law in Court Later this month, the Federal Court of Canada will hear a case in Halifax that threatens Canada's privacy law framework.  State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. is contesting the constitutional validity of […]

Read more ›

April 5, 2010 Comments are Disabled Columns Archive

Privacy Commissioner of Canada on Cloud Computing

The Privacy Commissioner of Canada has released a report on cloud computing, pointing to many areas that raise potential privacy concerns.

Read more ›

March 30, 2010 Comments are Disabled News