In a recent announcement, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) reaffirmed its commitment to protecting Canadians’ privacy during the COVID-19 outbreak, stating that, “[d]uring a public health crisis, privacy laws still apply, but they are not a barrier to appropriate information sharing.” Other privacy commissioners throughout Canada have made similar statements. Given […] Read more
The COVID-19 outbreak is raising questions about privacy issues during a pandemic. The OPC has recently published guidance Privacy and the COVID-19 outbreak. It explains how during a public health crisis, privacy laws still apply but that they are not a barrier to necessary information sharing. Since the management of public health crises is a […] Read more
My new privacy book “The Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector in Québec : Looking Back and Thinking Forward” published by Editions Yvon Blais and co-authored with Antoine Guilmain is out! It deals with the challenges with the Quebec private sector privacy act – with the preface authored by former privacy commissioner of Canada […] Read more
On January 28, 2020, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) published its Consultation on the OPC’s Proposals for ensuring appropriate regulation of artificial intelligence (Consultation Paper). The Consultation Paper sets out several proposals for how the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) could be reformed, in the words of the OPC, “in order […] Read more
Our new privacy book Managing Privacy in a Connected World (co-authored with Elisa Henry) is out! It deals with cutting-edge technologies (AI, blockchain, connected devices, IoT, targeted advertising) and new legal risks (digital consent, cyber, competition, online reputation, GDPR, privacy class actions, etc). This book would have not been possible without the help and expertise […] Read more
On November 24, 2019, the federal Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia (BC OIPC) released their report of findings (the Report) arising from their joint investigation of Aggregate IQ Data Services Ltd (AIQ). Before the investigation, AIQ processed personal information as a service provider to […] Read more
In 2019, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission continued to enforce Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (commonly known as “CASL”) and issue guidance for CASL compliance. Read our bulletin summarizing the relevant regulatory enforcement and regulatory guidance cases from the last year. Read more
On December 10, 2019, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission issued a notice of violation under Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (commonly known as “CASL”) against two individuals operating Orcus Technologies for allegedly aiding the installation and operation of malware known as “Orcus RAT”. The notice imposes $115,000 in penalties. Read our bulletin on this topic. Read more
On November 14, 2019, the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) – the national self-regulatory organization that oversees investment dealers and their trading activity in Canadian markets – published a notice of amendments to its Rule 3100 and Rule 3703 to require mandatory reporting of cybersecurity incidents by IIROC-regulated investment firms. The amended rules, […] Read more
The federal Privacy Commissioner (OPC) recently published a blog post detailing certain trends that have emerged in the first year since mandatory breach reporting came into effect for organizations subject to the Personal Information and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), as well as certain tips for organizations for responding to a breach. On November 1, 2018, breach reporting in certain […] Read more