The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) and our partners, the University of Toronto, Ryerson University, the Samuelson- Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC), and the University of Sherbrooke, hosted the second Pathways to Privacy Research Symposium at the University of Toronto on March 21, 2014. Over 125 participants representing a variety of interests, including academia, government, non-profit organizations, and privacy professionals, attended the full-day event, which showcased privacy-related research funded by the OPC’s Contributions Program.
In support of the theme Helping Canadians Find Pathways to Privacy, the symposium was preceded by a public panel discussion on March 20, 2014, entitled “Advancing privacy and civil liberties in Canada’s (emerging) surveillance state.” During the symposium on March 21, four panels covered a wide spectrum of privacy concerns that affect Canadians, including issues in commercial genetic testing and health information; privacy at the public/private interface; protecting personal information online and off; and the privacy of financial information. The symposium also featured a keynote address from human rights attorney Paul Champ.
Canadians are aware that their everyday activities produce enormous amounts of personal information with accompanying privacy risks, but find it difficult to act on their concerns. The Pathways to Privacy symposium aimed to provide Canadians with a better understanding of the ways their privacy is at risk, the privacy protections offered by PIPEDA, and practical means for exercising their privacy rights. At the same time, it brought together the network of privacy researchers, educators, advocates and practitioners across Canada to build connections and foster interaction.
Event Archive
March 20, 2014 | 6:00 – 8:30 pm
Public Panel Discussion & Privacy Fair: “Advancing privacy and civil liberties in Canada’s (emerging) surveillance state”
The Bissell Building, 140 St. George Street
From the Snowden revelations, to evidence of medical information emerging during border security checks, to questions about the data collection practices of the Canadian Security establishment, there have been many recent stories lately that raise public concern about our privacy rights. The round table discussion was interactive, with our moderator asking broad questions and soliciting opinions from an expert panel, featuring:
Jay Stanley, Senior Policy Analyst, American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy and Technology Project
Sukanya Pillay, General Counsel and Executive Director, Canadian Civil Liberties Association
Colin Freeze, National Security Reporter, Globe & Mail
Moderator: Andrew Clement, University of Toronto Faculty of Information
Watch the live webcast from the event:
The Privacy Fair featured booths showcasing privacy education materials, including consumer oriented encryption, youth-oriented privacy education, video surveillance accountability apps, telecommunications transparency reporting and interactive mapping. Some of the projects included in the fair were:
- Our Privacy Matters! Using Mozilla Webmaker Tools for Critical and Creative Engagement
- Playing Spy Games: Big Data and the Architecture of the Xbox 360
- SurveillanceWatch
- IXmaps
- Privacy Journal
- Young People and Mobile Phone Privacy in Canada: Analyzing a Model of Digital Policy Literacy
March 21, 2014 | 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Pathways to Privacy Symposium: Helping Canadians Find Pathways to Privacy
The Faculty Club, University of Toronto
41 Willcocks Street, Toronto ON
Welcome RemarksSukanya Pillay, General Counsel & Executive Director, Canadian Civil Liberties Association Listen to the audio: |
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Opening RemarksPatricia Kosseim, Senior General Counsel and Director General, Legal Services, Policy and Research Branch, Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada Listen to the audio: |
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| Watch the live webcast: | |
Panel 1: Privacy for Life: Issues in Commercial Genetic Testing and Health Information ProvisionThis panel examined the privacy risks to consumers and patients who engage with private sector providers of health care or testing services or information provision. Health information is an area that has traditionally been deemed highly sensitive, needing high levels of protection when provided by the public sector. However, when private sector organizations become involved, citizens might not be aware of the different levels of protection afforded to their personal information. |
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| Jacquelyn Burkell, University of Western Ontario. “Hidden Surveillance by Consumer Health Websites.”Listen to the audio: | [Download presentation slides][Read the final report] |
| Kieran O’Doherty, University of Guelph. “Privacy risks of direct to consumer genetic testing.”Listen to the audio: | [Download presentation slides][Project Backgrounder] |
| Sukanya Pillay, Canadian Civil Liberties Association. “Genetic testing in the workplace.”Listen to the audio: | |
| Moderator: Joseph Ferenbok, Faculty of Medicine, University of TorontoListen to the audio introduction: | |
| Watch the live webcast:
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Panel 2: Privacy at the Public/Private InterfaceWe live in a society where the lines between private and public are becoming not just blurred but in some cases erased. While privacy protection has long been treated differently, and legislated and enforced differently depending on whether the information collection occurred in the private or public sector, the realities of everyday life in an online, internally connected (and globally surveilled) world mean that these distinctions increasingly are being challenged. This panel examined the ways in which public and private interconnect and the need for privacy protections across the interface. |
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Andrew Clement, University of Toronto. “IXmaps: Mapping Canadian Privacy Risks in the Internet Cloud.” Listen to the audio: |
[Download presentation slides][Project website] |
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Micheal Vonn & Kate Milberry, BCCLA. “A National ID Card by Stealth.” Listen to the audio: |
[Project Backgrounder][Read the report] |
| Andrea Slane, UOIT. “Privacy and civic duty: The legitimate scope of voluntary information sharing by private enterprises in law enforcement investigations into cybercrime.”Listen to the audio: | [Project backgrounder][Project website] |
| David Lyon, Scott Thompson, and Ciara Bracken-Roche, Queens University. “Privacy Implications of the Spread of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Canada.”Listen to the audio: | [Download presentation slides][Project backgrounder] |
| Moderator: Lisa Austin, Faculty of Law, University of TorontoListen to the audio introduction: | |
| Watch the live webcast: | |
Lunch and Keynote Address: ”Legal Strategies for Reclaiming Privacy in the Digital Age”Paul Champ, Human Rights and Labour Lawyer, Champ & Associates Listen to the audio: |
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| Watch the live webcast: | |
Panel 3: Privacy Online and Off: Protecting Personal InformationPeople of all ages encounter privacy challenges as they go about their daily business online and off. When personal information is shared about Canadian citizens, whether it is between social media sites and advertisers, or private sector organizations and law enforcement officers, there are potential privacy concerns. This panel featured research discussing the need for privacy protections in situations where personal information is shared and used in on and offline settings. |
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| Christopher Parsons, University of Victoria. “The Canadian Access to Social Media Information Project.”Listen to the audio: | [Download presentation slides][Project backgrounder] |
| Abby Deshman, Canadian Civil Liberties Association. “Police Background Checks and the Private Sector.”Listen to the audio: | [Download presentation slides][Project backgrounder] |
| Moderator: Tamir Israel, Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy & Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC)Listen to the audio introduction: | |
| Watch the live webcast: | |
Panel 4: Privacy and Financial InformationFinancial information is often highly personal and is perceived as requiring strong privacy protection, yet it is also information much in demand by private sector agencies seeking to market financial services to governments, citizens and other corporations. This panel presented OPC-funded research focusing on the current privacy issues in the financial arena. |
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| Alexandre Plourde, Option Consommateurs, “New services provided by credit agencies.” Listen to the audio: | [Download presentation slides] [Project backgrounder] |
| Avner Levin, Ryerson University. “Fraud and privacy violation risks in the financial aggregation industry.”Listen to the audio: | [Download presentation slides] [Project backgrounder] |
| Arthur Cockfield, Queens University, “The Privacy Implications of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA).”Listen to the audio: | [Download presentation slides] [Project backgrounder] |
| Moderator: Ali Miri, Department of Computer Science, Ryerson UniversityListen to the audio introduction: | |
| Watch the live webcast: | |
Closing RemarksSukanya Pillay, Canadian Civil Liberties Association Listen to the audio: |
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The event was organized with funding from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s Contributions Program; the views expressed at this event were those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect those of the OPC.
