06 Dec Privacy Watchdog Urges Canadian Gov’t Not to Trade Privacy Rights for Commercial Gain
Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien recently wrote a letter to Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains, warning that Canada has reached a critical “tipping point” in the adoption of technologies that may be putting privacy and democratic values at stake.
Therrien said that he is troubled that long-standing privacy rights and values in the country are not being given equal importance within a new digital ecosystem eagerly focused on embracing and leveraging data for various purposes.
The commissioner added that it worries him that the government often asks in public consultations how it can increase trust and confidence in data use “while not impeding innovation.” This suggests that innovation is somehow in conflict with privacy, when innovation and privacy should be pursued in tandem, says Therrien.
Source: CBC.Ca
