Privacy Commissioner's Annual Report Released

George Radwanski, Canada's Privacy Commissioner, has criticized several government security initiatives in his Annual Report to Parliament. Among the government initiatives singled out by the Commissioner is a database retained by the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency which contains and preserves, for a number of years, detailed flight information and a proposal which allows the government to monitor email, Internet activity and cell phone calls. The Commissioner also objected to the Minister of Immigration's proposal to implement national identity cards with fingerprints or eye scans and the government's approval of RCMP's use of video surveillance on the streets of Kelowna, B.C. The Commissioner stated that these initiatives cannot be justified and he called on the public to voice their opposition to these and other infringements on personal privacy. The report also summarizes cases under the Privacy Act and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. For a copy of the report, visit: http://makeashorterlink.com/?M22213A63