In the face of mounting legislative efforts by Canadian and foreign lawmakers to impose age verification and age assurance requirements on online providers, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has launched an exploratory consultation to gather input on issues related to age assurance and privacy. Essential insights will address whether, how, and when online … [Read more...] about Age Verification Consultation
Legislation
Key stakeholders call for withdrawal of controversial AI legislation
Dozens of leading civil society organizations, corporations, experts and academics released an open letter to Innovation, Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, calling for the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA) to be withdrawn and given a full public consultation. AIDA is currently bundled into the government’s proposed privacy legislation, Bill … [Read more...] about Key stakeholders call for withdrawal of controversial AI legislation
B.C. strengthens information sharing protections in child welfare legislation
New procedural safeguards in British Columbia's Child, Family and Community Service Act (CFCSA) will enhance personal privacy protections while supporting child protection needs through amended legislation that also removes barriers to Indigenous jurisdiction. In April 2023, the B.C. Court of Appeal required safeguards to be added to balance the privacy of access to personal … [Read more...] about B.C. strengthens information sharing protections in child welfare legislation
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
Open letter to EU Member States on the proposed CSA Regulation
Encryption is a vital component of privacy, and efforts to undermine encryption are a threat to privacy, to practitioners' ability to do their work and ensure compliance with privacy laws, and to the very children such measures claim to protect. For those and other reasons, PACC is a signatory of an open letter to the EU member states expressing our concerns about the proposal … [Read more...] about Open letter to EU Member States on the proposed CSA Regulation
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
