European Parliament's negotiators reached a broad majority agreement this week on a common position concerning the controversial EU chat control bill, which threatened to undermine privacy and encryption across the internet. The European Parliament’s position, agreed upon by all parties, removes indiscriminate bulk scanning and automated reporting of private messages … [Read more...] about EU Parliament Moves to Protect Privacy
Legislation
Voters left in the dark
Bill C-47 is a 408-page budget implementation bill tabled on March 28, 2023 that, as one might expect, addresses matters relating to taxation — from income tax, excise tax, and GST/HST, to increasing the air travelers security charge, and facilitating the sharing of information between the Minister of Finance, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial … [Read more...] about Voters left in the dark
Retailers bear a new responsibility
Manitoba retailers that sell bear spray now have to collect more personal information from shoppers, and submit it to the government. Under new regulatory requirements, anyone buying bear spray from a Manitoba retailer must also specify the intended use of the product. Vendors must now verify a purchaser’s identification against government-issued identification, and … [Read more...] about Retailers bear a new responsibility
Privacy and Protection: A children’s rights approach to encryption
Canada, the UK and EU are among the countries looking at legislative measures control the availability of and access to online content in order o to protect children against child sexual abuse. A new report — Privacy and Protection: A children’s rights approach to encryption — from the Child Rights International Network (CRIN) and Defend Digital Me (DDM) shows how encryption … [Read more...] about Privacy and Protection: A children’s rights approach to encryption
Children’s right to privacy needs to be strengthened in law and beyond
by Michelle Gordon At the height of the pandemic last year, I wrote an article arguing that Canada’s federal privacy law needed to be strengthened for children, especially given their all-time highs in online activity and the increased digital tracking of kids. At that time, the pending Bill C-11 did not directly address children’s privacy rights, representing a missed … [Read more...] about Children’s right to privacy needs to be strengthened in law and beyond
Statement from the Privacy & Access Council of Canada following the release of the ETHI Committee’s report of Device Investigative Tools Used by the RCMP
In the months since the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics undertook a study of “on-device investigative tools” used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the use of spyware by police and governments has garnered significant interest internationally. The report that details the Committee’s observations relating to the RCMP’s use of on‑device … [Read more...] about Statement from the Privacy & Access Council of Canada following the release of the ETHI Committee’s report of Device Investigative Tools Used by the RCMP
