News
Survey: Malware Attacks Stemming from Social Media Use
As social media’s popularity grows in corporate Canada, so too do malicious links that threaten company information, according to a new study. The Ponemon Institute polled more than 400 Canadian IT professionals for Websense Inc. and found what they call “dangerous gaps” in corporate social media security.
Read More»Ontario Commissioner Order – Stop Sending Paper Cancer Screening Reports
- on November 1, 2011
- in Commissioner Decisions, PrivaTips
Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Dr. Ann Cavoukian, recently ordered Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) to discontinue its practice of transferring Screening Reports containing personal health information to physicians in paper format.
Read More»Guidelines for Social Media Background Checks
- on November 1, 2011
- in Commissioner Guidance
The B.C. Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner has released useful guidelines to “help organizations and public bodies navigate social media background checks and privacy laws.” The guidelines outline the privacy risks associated with the use of social media to screen and monitor current and prospective employees, volunteers and candidates, and how to avoid these risks.
Breaches Continue to Demonstrate Human Error is the Leading Cause
The importance of better privacy awareness and sense of responsibility and heightened diligence when handling personal information couldn’t be clearer. Whether its personal information in paper or electronic form, breaches involving human error are reported daily.
Read More»PIPEDA Amendments Re-Introduced – Substantial Changes to Canada’s Privacy Law Expected
- on October 12, 2011
- in Legislation, PrivaTips
A bill to amend the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) was re-introduced by the Government of Canada a few weeks ago. Bill C-12, the Safeguarding Canadians’ Personal Information Act, is identical to Bill C-29 introduced in May 2010.
Read More»Sweeping Re-Write of B.C.’s Public Sector Privacy Law
- on October 12, 2011
- in Legislation, PrivaTips
The B.C. government recently unveiled a sweeping re-write of the province’s privacy and access law (Bill 3) that sets the stage for what it says are cutting-edge government Internet services but what critics call an erosion of personal privacy. The changes pave the way for B.C.’s new high-tech CareCards, as well as combined CareCard-driver’s licences, first announced in May.
Read More»Secret Leamington School Cameras Anger Staff
A public school board recently admitted it secretly installed surveillance equipment in a teachers’ staff room at Queen Elizabeth public school in Leamington, Ontario as part of a “personnel” investigation. Teachers and union leaders, who learned of the surveillance activity, called it a disturbing breach of privacy and a violation of collective agreements.
Read More»Alberta Court Invalidates Certain PIPA Provisions
- on October 11, 2011
- in Court Decisions, PrivaTips
A recent decision of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta to strike down provisions in Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act could have ramifications nationwide as the offending provisions are mirrored in the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). In United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 401 v. Alberta (Information and Privacy Commissioner) the Court declared several narrow exemptions in the Alberta legislation to be unconstitutional.
Read More»Alberta Privacy Commissioner Overwhelmed by Privacy Breaches
- on September 7, 2011
- in PrivaTips
According to the Alberta Information and Privacy Commissioner, an alarming number of Alberta organizations are accidentally exposing people’s private information. The Commissioner has received more than 90 such notifications since May 2010, when it became mandatory to report privacy breaches in Alberta.
Read More»CRTC Fines GoodLife Fitness $300,000 for “Robocalls”
- on September 7, 2011
- in Commissioner Decisions, PrivaTips
According to the CRTC’s Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules, expliict consent is required when making telemarketing calls using Automatic Dialing-Announcing Devices (ADADs). GoodLife violated the ADAD rule 60 times by using “robocalls” in 2010 leading to a penalty of $5000 per violation.
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