IPC - Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario | News Releases

Commissioner Cavoukian dismayed by the indiscriminate deletion of emails in Ontario cabinet ministers’ offices

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Dr. Ann Cavoukian, has released the findings of her investigation into a complaint by Member of Provincial Parliament Peter Tabuns, who alleged the Chief of Staff to the former Minister of Energy had improperly deleted all emails concerning the cancellation of the Mississauga and Oakville gas plants. Over the course of the investigation, the Commissioner learned that in early 2013, staff in the former Premier’s office had approached the Secretary of Cabinet about how to permanently delete emails and other electronic documents. As a result, the scope of the investigation was expanded.

At the root of the problems uncovered over the course of our wide-reaching investigation was the practice of indiscriminate deletion of all emails sent and received by the former Chief of Staff to the Minister of Energy. This practice violates the Archives and Recordkeeping Act (ARA) and the records retention schedule developed for ministers’ offices by the Archives of Ontario. This practice also undermines the transparency and accountability purposes of the ARA and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Personal Privacy Act (FIPPA).

View the report.

Commissioner Cavoukian Commends Government of Ontario for Clarifying Privacy Rights for Electronic Health Records

Wed, 29 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

TORONTO, ON (May 29, 2013) – Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Dr. Ann Cavoukian, today commended the Government of Ontario for introducing amendments to Ontario’s health privacy legislation, the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA). The Commissioner has been advocating for a legislative framework to address the privacy and security issues associated with electronic health records, for some time. While PHIPA has served as a model for health privacy legislation across Canada and abroad since its introduction in 2004, it did not adequately address the rights of individuals and the duties of health care providers, in a shared electronic health record environment.

Commissioner Cavoukian marks 25 years of innovative access and privacy leadership in Ontario!

Tue, 28 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

TORONTO, ON (May 28, 2013) – Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Dr. Ann Cavoukian, today released her 2012 Annual Report, highlighting the accomplishments of the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC) over the past 25 years.

The report shows that 2012 was another very active year for the protection of privacy and access to information, at the same time, the costs per provincial personal information requests were substantially lowered. New records were set for personal information and freedom of information requests filed, under the three Acts (FIPPA, MFIPPA and PHIPA) falling within the Commissioner’s jurisdiction. Also making great strides last year were the Commissioner’s made-in-Ontario concepts of Privacy by Design and Access by Design, which call for proactively embedding privacy and access by default within operational processes and technologies – right from the outset.

Quotes:

“I have been fortunate to find myself in a unique historical position as Commissioner during the advent of the Internet — it drastically changed the very concepts of how we view access and privacy. Advances in information technology have not only inspired people to develop new products and services that enhance our lives, they have also given rise to a backlash by those who wish to erode our privacy and fear a culture of openness.”

“I firmly believe that the efforts of my office were needed as I look back on the last 25 years,. Ontarians can be assured that this office has grown into a first-class agency known around the world for demonstrating innovation and leadership, in the fields of both access and privacy.”

Dr. Ann Cavoukian
Information and Privacy Commissioner, Ontario

For more information:

Ontario embraces world-class standard of privacy protection

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

TORONTO, ON (April 15, 2013) – Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Dr. Ann Cavoukian, today introduced an information centre designed to further educate and advise members of the Ontario Public Service (OPS) on the best privacy practices, thus ensuring excellence in the protection of personal information.

Privacy by Design allows secure third party access energy innovations to grow

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

TORONTO, January 29, 2013 – A Privacy by Design approach is essential for maintaining trust and confidence in the benefits of Smart Grid technology. Utilities allowing third party access to customer energy usage data (CEUD) for new initiatives such as energy conservation products and services must offer consumers end-to-end security. Companies such as app developers, consumer service providers, software vendors, device manufacturers, home security companies and others will benefit from the ability to access data if utilities can confidently protect customer information.

Paper: Privacy by Design and Third Party Access to Customer Energy Usage Data

A convergence of privacy and security yields the biggest gains for business

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

TORONTO, January 28, 2013 – As the value of information and the need to manage it responsibly is growing dramatically, it is vital for organizations to incorporate both privacy and security into their networked data systems and technologies, as the default settings. (Paper)

Award-winning video “Are You Like Darren?” demonstrates the importance of privacy

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

TORONTO, January 25, 2013 – In celebration of International Privacy Day, Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner, Dr. Ann Cavoukian, has selected Ryerson student Michael Chen’s video, Are You Like Darren?, as the winner of “Make the Right Choices” - A Privacy by Design Video Contest.

Pledge to Protect Your Online Privacy in 2013: Five New Year’s Resolutions

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

TORONTO, January 2, 2013 – As we spend more and more time online, people need to be diligent in protecting their online privacy and personal information to avoid identity theft and fraud. Over this past holiday season, many Ontarians received or purchased new smartphones and tablets; consequently, many have spent a significant amount of time adding new applications, but too few have taken the time to consider the privacy risks.

Privacy and Security as the Default Standard for the Health Sector

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT

TORONTO, December 14, 2012 – As portable storage devices become increasingly prevalent in the health care sector, concerns also arise regarding the privacy and security of personal health information (PHI). Medical professionals in high-availability data environments, from family doctors to large hospitals, need to ensure data security and protect information through encryption as the default, as the potential for privacy breaches that can be costly and cause lasting damage to their reputation. Taking these steps provides a positive-sum, Privacy by Design approach which benefits both patients and caregivers.

Paper: Encryption by Default and Circles of Trust: Strategies to Secure Personal Information in High-Availability Environments

Operationalizing Privacy by Design: From Rhetoric to Reality

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT

TORONTO, ON, December 4, 2012 – Information management and its protection is imperative to any organization’s success, regardless of its size. Privacy breaches can have profound and long-term adverse consequences, including significant financial impact and damage to the reputation and brand of the organizations involved. The international standard of Privacy by Design is an actionable framework which has been put into practice by a growing number of organizations worldwide to make privacy the default setting. In order to further guide organizations through this potentially challenging process, Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Dr. Ann Cavoukian, has authored a new paper, Operationalizing Privacy by Design: A Guide to Implementing Strong Privacy Practices, which illustrates many examples of the framework being put into action.