Privacy and Access Council of Canada

THE voice for privacy AND access

News & Views

Have Your Say about Bill C-26

A new Canadian law — Bill C-26 An Act respecting cyber security, amending the Telecommunications Act — will "authorize the Governor in Council and the Minister of Industry to direct telecommunications service providers to do anything, or refrain from doing anything, that is necessary to secure the Canadian telecommunications system" and "designate any service or system as a … [Read more...] about Have Your Say about Bill C-26

Have Your Say on AIDA

Minister Champagne's proposed amendments to AIDA (Part 3 of Bill C-27) are now available and speak to the future of privacy and artificial intelligence in Canada. PACC will be considering this material as it prepares a submission for the INDU Committee as a follow-up to Sharon Polsky's recent appearance before the INDU Committee.PACC members are invited to review the … [Read more...] about Have Your Say on AIDA

Let’s Talk Federal Regulations

The Treasury Board of Canada has proposed allowing all federal regulatory organizations to incorporate internal documents "by reference" to have the same force of law as regulations, without the need to make regulatory changes each time the document is updated.If approved, civil servants will be able to revise internal documents, with the changes … [Read more...] about Let’s Talk Federal Regulations

Consultation: Children’s Online Privacy Code

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A draft Children’s Online Privacy Code is being developed, and the OAIC is seeking the public's input. The Code is intended to protect children of any age when they use online services by "strengthening the privacy protections of their personal information.” While the Code is not legislation, it does apply to social media, including the platforms affected by the recent … [Read more...] about Consultation: Children’s Online Privacy Code

Political Parties and the Public’s Privacy 

In most democratic countries, the opportunities for political parties to capture and use personal information to identify and target voters are constrained by comprehensive privacy protection laws. This is not the case in Canada. Canadian political parties are not generally covered by Canadian privacy legislation – either at the federal or provincial levels. Generally, … [Read more...] about Political Parties and the Public’s Privacy 

Spotlight on social media bans: A parent’s guide

Many parents and campaigners are calling for a ban on social media for under 16s, and their concerns are entirely legitimate. Children have been exposed to worrying levels of harm online for far too long, made worse by design choices that push content through powerful recommendation systems. We all agree that something must change — but experts warn against a social media … [Read more...] about Spotlight on social media bans: A parent’s guide

KISS Campaign Launched

Governments and law enforcement agencies in the EU, Canada, Australia and other countries continue to push measures that weaken encryption, and the spyware market continues to grow unchecked. With that in mind, EDRi has launched a new campaign, Keep It Safe and Secure (KISS). The KISS campaign is led by a group of civil society organisations active at national, European and … [Read more...] about KISS Campaign Launched

The People’s Consultation on AI 

Artificial Intelligence technologies are being embedded into every aspect of how we live our lives in Canada — from educating our children, to communicating with family, friends, and healthcare providers, to dealing with our governments.  Since 2017, Canada has invested tens of millions of dollars to “translate research in artificial intelligence into commercial … [Read more...] about The People’s Consultation on AI