Commissioner’s Blog | Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario

Information and Privacy Commissioner Patricia Kosseim posing for a photo on a bridge, with trees in the background.

Commissioner’s Blog

Dive into Commissioner Kosseim’s insightful blogs covering privacy, access, cyber safety, and beyond. Stay informed and explore the latest insights.

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Showing 154 - 162 of 242 results

Study Finds Most Devices Don’t Reveal How Personal Information Will Be Used

Six in ten “Internet of Things” devices don’t properly tell customers how their personal information is being used, an international study has found. The GPEN (Global Privacy Enforcement Network) study, conducted by 25 data protection regulators around the world (including the IPC), looked at...

Published on Sep 22, 2016

Best Practices for Automated Licence Plate Recognition Technologies

Automated licence plate recognition (ALPR) technologies can quickly capture and match large volumes of licence plate numbers to lists of plates stored in a database. Police services in Ontario use ALPR systems to match licence plates with lists of plates, such as stolen and expired plates and plates...

Published on Sep 21, 2016

Understanding the Risks of Emailing Health Information

Individuals and organizations rely on email for its convenience, speed and economy. Health information custodians are no exception. While email offers many benefits, it also poses risks to the privacy of individuals and to the security of personal health information. This sensitive information must...

Published on Sep 15, 2016

Understanding and Implementing Open Government Initiatives

Today we are releasing two papers on Open Government, which is a concept based on the core belief that the public has the right to access the records and proceedings of government. Governments around the world are recognizing Open Government as an essential ingredient for democracy. Open Government...

Published on Sep 6, 2016

The IPC is coming to London!

To commemorate Right to Know Week, Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner, Brian Beamish, is coming to London to discuss emerging trends in access to information and open government at Western University on September 27. The morning’s agenda will also include members of the IPC’s executive...

Published on Aug 25, 2016

Commissioner Interviewed by TV Ontario

Commissioner Beamish was interviewed by TV Ontario’s Daniel Kitts about the direction he wants to take as Commissioner, where there is still work to be done with regards to transparency and privacy in Ontario and how public attitudes and expectations have changed when it comes to accessing...

Published on Jul 22, 2016

Protecting Against Ransomware

Ransomware is a type of malicious software, or “malware,” that encrypts files on your device or computer and then demands payment in exchange for the key needed to decrypt the files. It essentially locks you out of your data and holds the means of regaining access for ransom. In recent months, large...

Published on Jul 15, 2016

Focus Ontario: A Year of Outreach, Engagement and Collaboration

Today we released our 2015 Annual Report – Focus Ontario: A Year of Outreach, Engagement and Collaboration. The report contains a comprehensive review of the year in access and privacy issues, and detailed statistics about freedom of information requests, compliance rates, appeals and privacy...

Published on Jun 28, 2016

De-Identification: Basic Concepts and Techniques

As the demand for government-held data increases, institutions require effective processes and techniques for removing personal information. An important tool in this regard is de-identification. “De-identification” is the general term for the process of removing personal information from a record...

Published on Jun 8, 2016

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