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  • Privacy Commissioner Releases Report on Challenges Posed by New Technologies
    – 2011-05-10 –

    The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has released a report exploring many of the challenges posed by emerging technologies and business practices to protection of privacy in an interconnected world. The report is a result of a number of groundbreaking consultations held in cities across Canada which explored issues such as online and geolocational tracking,behavioural targeting,  cloud computing, and emerging risks for online privacy of children.

    Alongside its other conclusions, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada noted that people deserve to have access to the many benefits of an interconnected world, but that "this should not come at the expense of privacy rights".

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  • Computers Freedom and Privacy 2011: The Future Is Now
    – 2011-05-10 –

    Early registration is now open for CFP2011! This will be the 21st iteration of the annual conference, which explores cutting edge issues related to the intersection between computers, privacy and freedom. This year, CFP will be held in Washington D.C. and will explore the role of social media in Middle East/North Africa democratic movements, the growing impact of mobile personal computing on freedom and privacy, as well as a host of other issues including the smart grid, e-health records, net neutrality, Identity management, and growing trends towards ubiquitous surveillance.

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  • Grace-Pepin Access to Information Award Call for Nominations
    – 2011-02-17 –

    Canada's federal, provincial and territorial Information and Privacy Commissioners are calling for nominations for the Grace-Pépin Access to Information Award, which will honour and recognize the efforts of individuals who have demonstrated an exceptional contribution to Access to Information, transparency, and accountability in Canada. The award also honours and commemorates its eponymous Commissioners, John Grace, former Information Commissioner of Canada, and Marcel Pépin, president and founder of the Commission d'accèss à l'information du Québec.

    The inaugural award will be presented during the International Conference of Information Commissioners which will be held in Ottawa on October 4-5, 2011. Future awards will be presented annually during Right to Know week.

    More details on the nomination process and requirements are available here (FR). The submission form is here (FR).

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  • Supreme Court Grants Leave in SOCAN v. Bell
    – 2010-12-23 –

    The Supreme Court of Canada has granted leave SOCAN v. Bell, in which the Copyright Board and Federal Court of Appeal had agreed that consumer "previews" of 30 second music clips were fair dealing since they amounted to consumer research.

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  • CIPPIC Denounces Anti-Privacy Privacy Bill
    – 2010-11-19 –

    In an open letter to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, CIPPIC and a number of civil society organizations voice serious concerns with respect to Bill C-29, currently before the House and scheduled for second reading early next week. The Bill, ironically dubbed the 'Safeguarding Canadians' Personal Information Act', proposes a number of amendments to Canada's federal privacy protection statute, PIPEDA. Far from improving privacy, the Bill threatens to erode civil liberties in serious ways. Even where it attempts to improve privacy, it falls short by failing to provide any incentive for compliance.

    The most troubling elements of the Bill pave the way to a dramatic expansion in the ways in which private businesses can be used in investigations against their own customers. While privacy should never be a bar to legitimate investigations of actual wrongs, the law provides mechanisms such as warrants, production orders, mandatory disclosure laws, and discovery processes that ensure investigations can occur with proper safeguards in place. This Bill essentially bypasses all of these safeguards by adding and expanding exceptions that permit organizations to simply give away their customer's information and includes elements evocative of the US PATRIOT Act and all the civil liberties violations that accompanied it.

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  • CIPPIC Files Factum in Hyperlinked Defamation Suit
    – 2010-11-15 –

    CIPPIC filed its factum in Crookes v. Newton, which will decide the fate of the hyperlink in defamation law.  The case, on appeal from the B.C. Court of Appeal, has raised the issue of whether and under what circumstances posting a hyperlink to online content that contains defamatory statements can amount to publication of that content.  The plaintiff, Crookes, argues that posting a hyperlink draws the reader's attention to any defamatory statements contained in the linked article and this is sufficient to impose liability on the poster of the link.  He argues further that, by nature and convention, by posting a hyperlink the author of an article intends to incorporate the linked content into the original article.

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  • Privacy Commissioner Closes the Book on CIPPIC’s 2008 Facebook Complaint
    – 2010-09-22 –

    The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has closed its file on CIPPIC’s 2008 complaint about Facebook’s privacy practices. The Office’s 2009 Report of Findings and its following letter of resolution required Facebook to make a number of changes. In a media release and Backgrounder, the Office reports that it is satisfied that the changes Facebook has implemented are “reasonable and meet the expectations set out under Canadian privacy law.

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  • CIPPIC granted leave to intervene in Crookes v. Newton
    – 2010-09-20 –

    Today, the Supreme Court of Canada granted CIPPIC leave to intervene in Crookes v. Newton.  The case, on appeal from the B.C. Court of Appeal, has raised the issue of whether and under what circumstances posting a hyperlink to online content that contains defamatory statements can amount to publication of that content.  The plaintiff, Crookes, argues that posting a hyperlink draws the reader's attention to any defamatory statements contained in the linked article and this is sufficient to impose liability on the poster of the link.  He argues further that, by nature and convention, by posting a hyperlink the author of an article intends to incorporate the linked content into the original article.

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  • CIPPIC tells CRTC they can act to ensure universal internet access
    – 2010-09-01 –

    As part of TNC CRTC 2010-43, a process examining the obligation of internet service providers to ensure universal affordable access to broadband Internet, CIPPIC, acting for OpenMedia.ca, argued in its submission that the CRTC is tasked with putting in place a comprehensive telecommunications framework, and that this mandate includes the obligation to ensure a minimal level of affordable access to telecommunications services for all Canadians.  CIPPIC explained that the CRTC has broad and varied tools at its disposal that it may use to ensure all Canadians have access to broadband Internet.

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  • CIPPIC Seeks Leave to Intervene in Crookes v. Newton
    – 2010-08-17 –

    CIPPIC has sought leave from the Supreme Court of Canada to intervene in Crookes v. Newton.  The case, on appeal from the B.C. Court of Appeal, has raised the issue of whether and under what circumstances posting a hyperlink to online content that contains defamatory statements can amount to publication of that content.  The plaintiff, Crookes, argues that posting a hyperlink draws the reader's attention to any defamatory statements contained in the linked article and this is sufficient to impose liability on the poster of the link.  He argues further that, by nature and convention, by posting a hyperlink the author of an article intends to incorporate the linked content into the original article.

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