Up here in Canada, many of us watched this week's U.S. presidential debate with great interest. After all, we share a border and most of our population lives within 100 kilometers of it. And while that certainly generated some news, I assure you there was still plenty of privacy news in Canada we can also reflect on.
First up, PwC's plan to track employee locations at work has made headlines and sparked conversations about privacy in the workplace. While the goal is to optimize workspace usage, it raises important questions and we are likely to see more debates on this. Living in Ottawa, I know that this week many federal public servants made their way back to offices in the downtown core, making me curious about how all that is being handled.
In Quebec, meanwhile, the Commission d'accès à l'information is reminding everyone that data portability provisions are about to take effect. They allow individuals to request the transfer of their personal information between organizations in a structured and machine-readable format. The idea is to give consumers more control, but it is also pushing businesses to adapt their systems to comply. It's a significant step, and businesses need to make sure they are prepared for this shift in regulatory obligations.
Also this week, Saskatoon experienced a privacy breach, with sensitive information improperly accessed by unauthorized staff members at the police service. It's a reminder of the importance of having strong internal controls to prevent breaches and that snooping can have serious consequences.
Last but not least, this week Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne reacted to a new court decision involving Meta on the Cambridge Analytica matter. A key takeaway from my perspective: having long privacy policies — which are mandated for transparency reasons — does not mean you have meaningful consent, especially when it comes to sharing personal information with third parties.
Now, turning to some IAPP housekeeping, a call for volunteers is open and I want to encourage you to consider putting yourself forward to volunteer for your professional association.
I also want to remind you about two important speaker proposal deadlines coming up fast for the IAPP Global Privacy Summit 2025 — 29 Sept. — and the IAPP Canada Privacy Symposium 2025 — 20 Oct. Have a look at the requirements, get a good session together and make a submission to speak at these great events. And remember, we want a bit more than just "concepts of a plan," OK?
Kris Klein, CIPP/C, CIPM, FIP, is the managing director for Canada for the IAPP.