Privacy and Access Council of Canada

THE voice for privacy AND access

News & Views

Bugs in our pockets: the risks of client-side scanning

A new report, written by an all-star group of eminent security experts, reveals that Client Side Scanning (CSS) — hailed by some as the answer to protecting children from online harms — by its nature creates serious security and privacy risks for all society, while the assistance it can provide for law enforcement is at best problematic. There are multiple ways in which CSS can … [Read more...] about Bugs in our pockets: the risks of client-side scanning

PACC President appears before Parliamentary Committee Studying Bill C-26

PACC President Sharon Polsky MAPP appeared today before the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security to take part in the Committee's study of Bill C-26, An Act respecting cyber security, amending the telecommunications act and making consequential amendments to other acts. The Bill provides sweeping powers to compel information sharing, but … [Read more...] about PACC President appears before Parliamentary Committee Studying Bill C-26

Canada’s tech policies and priorities aren’t doing enough to make citizens safer online

Canada’s digital charter carried a core promise of keeping Canadians safe and secure online when it was announced in 2019. Yet, it appears to have become a legislative version of vapourware – a product announced, never to be released. Not one of the charter’s underlying bills has become law. The government even initially refused to share many … [Read more...] about Canada’s tech policies and priorities aren’t doing enough to make citizens safer online

Will Bill S-210 prevent minors from accessing pornography?

(Version française disponible ici) A bill making its way through Parliament would force operators of pornographic sites to ensure that Canadians browsing their platforms are adults. This is one of the major objectives of Bill S-210, drafted and passed by the Senate and now to be examined in committee by federal MPs. Should the bill make the final steps to become law, those in … [Read more...] about Will Bill S-210 prevent minors from accessing pornography?

Principles for the responsible development and use of generative AI

Federal, provincial and territorial privacy authorities have launched a set of principles to advance the responsible, trustworthy and privacy-protective development and use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in Canada. AI is an advanced form of information processing created for the purpose of automating and/or enhancing the performance of human tasks. … [Read more...] about Principles for the responsible development and use of generative AI