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Canada: OPC issues Commissioner response to Coronavirus app information request, highlights need for legal reform
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada ('OPC') announced, on 28 August 2020, that the Privacy Commissioner had shared with members of two parliamentary committees, a response ('the Response') to an information request on the privacy implications of the Government's COVID-19 ('Coronavirus') application and the adequacy of current privacy laws. In particular, the Commissioner outlined that he had shared the Response in order to assist parliamentarians in reflecting on the state of federal privacy laws as they pertain to measures that the public and private sectors may adopt to address the effects of the current pandemic.
Specifically, the Response notes, in its review of the Coronavirus app, that no personal information is collected, care is taken to rely on de-identified data, strong encryption techniques are used, and limited data retention practices are maintained while data deletion practices are ensured. However, the Commissioner highlighted, among other things, that although new technologies have brought many benefits, they have also created risks to privacy such as those surrounding consent, and legislation must be reformed in order to allow for new technologies to create benefits while protecting privacy.
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