Privacy Complaints Up 17%

By Kaven Baker-Voakes, www.blacklocks.cs
Data grabs by Bell Canada prompted more than third of all public complaints to the Office of the Information Commissioner last year, according to a new report. The office’s Annual Report said 166 of 426 complaints it received followed a single initiative by Bell to track its customers electronic habits.

“Personal information of consumers is becoming currency,” said Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien. In a notice last October 23 Bell confirmed it “collects data such as Web visits, apps downloaded and search terms, and aggregates the data into broad user-group profiles to deliver to customers ads that are most relevant for them.”

The privacy commissioner said an investigation of the Bell policy is ongoing to determine if the telecom firm is in compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. Conservative Senator Leo Housakos, deputy chair of the Senate communications committee, earlier condemned the Bell practice as “unfair”: “The fundamental question is, what should we permit as a society?” Housakos said. “Where do we draw the line between what is private information and what can reasonably be shared with the general public as well as advertisers? We as a society must address these questions before media companies render it a moot point.”

The privacy commissioner also reported an overall 17 percent increase in complaints last year compared to 2012. “Breaches are another important concern that we have in respect to personal information of Canadians,” Commissioner Therrien said. “It affects individuals, corporations and the public sector. We are all vulnerable to it and need to prepare for it.”

The Privacy & Access Council of Canada said the report to Parliament underscored the need for the public to heed privacy issues affecting their electronic business. “If they understood it better they would be less likely to volunteer so much information,” said Sharon Polsky, council president. “They would be more likely to ask, why do you want the information? What are you going to do with it? Why do you need it? They would be better able to make educated, well-informed choices.”

A government bill pending in the Commons expands corporate use of customers’ private data without consent or notification; sanctions data mining by internet service providers; and approves the corporate sale of customer data without permission. Bill S-4 An Act To Amend The Personal Information Protection & Electronic Documents Act earlier passed the Senate amid complaints it “would diminish privacy rights in Canada,” according to the Marketing Research Intelligence Association: “More than ever organizations can amass significant amounts of data about individuals.”

MP Charmaine Borg, New Democrat member of the Commons privacy committee, said “bad publicity” over privacy breaches by corporations should promote better practices. “Organizations need to properly protect the needs of their customers,” said Borg, MP for Terrebonne-Blainville, Que.; “At the same time Canadians are becoming more and more concerned about their information in the online world.”

The legislation sanctions $100,000 fines for companies that conceal data breaches, but contains no requirement for mandatory reporting of leaks to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.