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
Privacy
Guidance explains privacy rules for situations involving intimate partner violence
The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario has published new guidance intended to enhance understanding of rights and obligations under Ontario’s privacy laws when sharing personal information in situations involving intimate partner violence (IPV). Sharing Information in Situations Involving Intimate Partner Violence: Guidance for Professionals is … [Read more...] about Guidance explains privacy rules for situations involving intimate partner violence
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
ECHR bans general weakening of secure end-to-end encryption
The European Court of Human Rights has banned a general weakening of secure end-to-end encryption, a move that could jeopardize Canada's international trade relations. The EU recently renewed Canada's adequacy status, an important measure to facilitate continued international trade and information sharing between Canada and European nations and companies, but proposed … [Read more...] about ECHR bans general weakening of secure end-to-end encryption
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
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
