Press Release Department: Federal - Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

Canada’s Information and privacy commissioners and ombudspersons have called on all levels of government to protect and promote privacy and access to information rights when embarking on information sharing initiatives aimed at improving government services. In a joint resolution, privacy and information regulators recognized information sharing initiatives are intended to more easily facilitate the sharing … Read more

The Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Daniel Therrien, tabled in Parliament his 2014-15 Annual Report on the Privacy Act, highlighting a record-high number of federal government data breaches reported to his Office and the results of an audit of the government’s management of portable storage devices. “Many institutions have made some strides to better protect personal information,” says … Read more

Online searches for sensitive topics such as pregnancy tests or divorce lawyers can sometimes lead to related ads appearing on your computer screen, new research by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) has found. “While we found many examples of good privacy practices related to online behavioural advertising, it’s clear the industry … Read more

Privacy concerns know no boundaries in an increasingly globalized world and international cooperation is quickly becoming the new normal when it comes to tackling these issues effectively, Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien said. After a landmark year for international collaboration among privacy enforcement authorities, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) made global partnerships … Read more

Privacy Commissioner of Canada Daniel Therrien has submitted to Parliament his views on Bill C-51, the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2015, highlighting a number of concerns about how Part 1 of the Bill, which would create a new Security of Canada Information Sharing Act, will negatively impact the privacy rights of Canadians. He also proposes a number of recommendations to … Read more

Privacy Commissioner of Canada Daniel Therrien issued a statement on Jan. 30 regarding the tabling of Bill C-51, the federal government’s proposed new national security legislation. “Protecting public safety is an essential duty of the state, but national security responses to acts of terror such as the horrific attacks recently experienced here and elsewhere must be proportionate and … Read more

The results of a review of the RCMP’s warrantless access requests to telecommunications companies have prompted the Privacy Commissioner to call on federal institutions to ensure they properly document these types of requests. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) launched its review to determine whether the RCMP had appropriate controls in place … Read more

The 2013-2014 Annual Report to Parliament on the Access to Information Act is available online.

As mobile apps explode in popularity, many of them are seeking access to large amounts of personal information without adequately explaining how that information is being used, participants of the second annual Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN) Privacy Sweep found. “Fortunately, there were few examples of apps collecting the sort of information that would appear … Read more

Understanding a website’s privacy practices should not require a law degree or time-consuming search for relevant information, said Privacy Commissioner of Canada Daniel Therrien. Online privacy transparency has emerged as a significant concern and is among the key issues highlighted in the commissioner’s 2013 Annual Report to Parliament on the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents … Read more