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Privacy policy, and the interaction of privacy protection with other policy.

Internet puts privacy on line

This article by Charles Mandel, For CanWest News Service includes:

But legislation lags when it comes to protecting Canadians from companies dealing in their information.

"The big thing is that none of the computer-related laws we have on the books ever truly envisioned the Internet age," says Tom Copeland, chairman of the Canadian Association of Internet Providers.

Copeland says legislation related to the Internet needs updating in every area, whether it's dealing with intellectual property or the sale of private data over the web.

Letter to the editor:

Crystal Ball Gazing At The Coming Year in Tech Law

Michael Geist writes:

Predicting the future of Canadian technology law is challenging at the best of times, but during an election campaign prognostications are admittedly likely to be about as accurate as a coin flip. With that caveat in mind, my weekly Law Bytes column (Toronto Star version, freely available version) offers up likely developments in the coming year gleaned from a pair of crystal balls - one that assesses what Canada needs and the other what we are likely to get.  The column focuses on six issues: Supreme Court activity, the CRTC, privacy, copyright, Internet concerns, and international developments.

I'll add a few more items to the "what we need" vs "what we will get":

Expect PIPEDA debates

This London Free Press article by David Canton includes:

It will be interesting to see if the consumer backlash from the Sony-BMG rootkit will sway public opinion sufficiently to affect copyright reform as it relates to digital rights management (DRM). The rootkit was a form of DRM used to control what people can do with their music CDs.

Bill C-60 -- the copyright reform bill that died at the election call -- had provisions that support DRM. Perhaps the reality is that we need protection from DRM, rather than for DRM.

Mr. Canton has a BLOG with articles on related topics (Example search for DRM)

Toronto Star: Make Internet an election issue

A Toronto Star article by Michael Geist includes:

As discussed last week, the Liberals have a lengthy, albeit unfinished record. With a few exceptions such as Conservative MP Joy Smith's vocal support for educational use of the Web and NDP MP Charlie Angus' commitment to balanced copyright reform, the opposition has generally avoided taking a stand on these issues.

While it is tempting to introduce a long list of policy questions (the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic has done that at cippic.ca), presenting a vision for the future means focusing on the big picture. In this election, two issues come immediately to mind — access and privacy.

Geist: Canada's Privacy Wake-Up Call

Michael Geist's weekly Law Bytes column (Toronto Star version, Freely available version) focuses on the recent incident in
which a reporter obtained the personal phone records of
Canadian Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart. He argues
that the incident demonstrates the urgent need for Canadian
privacy reform including providing the Commissioner with
order-making power, the unquestioned ability to name the
names of privacy violators, and the resources necessary to
meet her mandate.

Fight might with Right. Your Right. We are all "rights holders"!

Scott G. Elcomb has posted some graphics to try to express a view many of us share: Fight might with Right. Your Right.

This mirrors the theme of our tagline for Digital Copyright Canada which is that "All Canadians are Rights Holders".

The concept is simple, and yet far too many of the participants in the copyright debate from the 1980's seem to not get it.

There is is more than one author in authors' rights: the past author who is a copyright holder and newer authors-in-waiting that have a right to build on the past.

Kerr - October 27: What happens when law protects the technologies that protect copyright?

The Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences is pleased to invite you to its Breakfast on the Hill seminar series, created to provide relevant and timely research in the social sciences and humanities to Parliamentarians and policy makers.

Ian Kerr, LLB, PhD
Professor of Law
Canada Research Chair in Ethics, Law and Technology
University of Ottawa

What happens when law protects the technologies that protect copyright?

BILL C-60, COPYRIGHT REFORM & THE PUBLIC INTEREST

Geist: Privacy Protection Requires Action Not Rhetoric

Mr Geist's weekly Law Bytes column reflects on the current state of Canadian privacy in light of two annual reports from the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and recent comments from the Canadian Prime Minister. He argues that recent developments paint a bleak picture of Canadian privacy – illustrating that Canadian policies are ill-equipped to deal with emerging technologies and cross-border trade practices. (Toronto Star version, Freely available hyperlinked version)

CIPPIC News Release on Alberta privacy decision

NEWS RELEASE - July 8, 2005

Surreptitious keystroke logging by employers held illegal in Alberta

In a precedent-setting case, the Alberta Privacy Commissioner has ruled that surreptitious employee monitoring by way of keystroke logging violates that province's public sector privacy law. The case was brought by an individual who lost his job as a computer technician at a public library after he discovered and complained about a keystroke logging program that was monitoring his computer use. The individual represented himself, relying on legal advice provided by the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC).

Treasury Board President responds to BC RE: Privacy and the USA Patriot Act

Reg Alcock, President of the Treasury Board issued the following statement
today in response to the report issued by the Information and Privacy
Commissioner for British Columbia on Privacy and the USA Patriot Act.

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