BC FIPA and BCCLA recommend key changes to BC’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) VANCOUVER, August 17, 2020 – BC’s Personal Information and Protection Act (PIPA) is in need of reform. That’s the finding of the BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) and BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) in a joint written submission to the Special Legislative Committee. FIPA previously made an oral presentation to the Special Committee […]

BC FIPA, CCLA, BCCLA, CIPPIC, ICLMG, and OpenMedia are calling for more research and analysis prior to the release of new federally approved contact tracing app VANCOUVER, June 24, 2020 – On June 18, 2020 the federal government announced that a contact tracing app, “COVID Alert” will be available for Ontarians in July. The app […]

BC FIPA recommends key changes to BC’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) VANCOUVER, June 10, 2020 – During the Special Committee’s public consultations to review PIPA, BC Freedom of Information and Privacy (FIPA) presented several key recommendations.  Compared to other provincial and the federal privacy legislation, BC’s PIPA has had no substantive amendments in the last 17 years. Presently, more than ever, personal information is being collected […]

FIPA-sponsored poll shows BC wants key reforms to privacy laws   VANCOUVER, June 4, 2020 – Polling results released today indicate that British Columbians want increased public education and enhanced protections to their privacy rights, among other key reforms to privacy laws.   The BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) commissioned an Ipsos poll, a leading independent market research company, on public opinion […]

Register now to join us online! Join us at BC FIPA’s 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM)! We will be presenting the highlights from our work over the previous year, and discuss key priorities for the upcoming months, in addition to conducting regular AGM business. FIPA President, Mike Larsen, has outlined some of our milestones in […]

Stanley Tromp has updated his 2008 book, Fallen Behind: Canada’s Access to Information Act in the World Context. From Stanley Tromp: The first edition of this book in 2008 detailed how Canada’s Access to Information Act had fallen behind the rest of the world’s FOI laws. Since then, the problem has only grown far worse […]

BC FIPA, along with other civil society groups, has signed on to Open Media’s joint letter calling for measures to be put in place to ensure Canadians’ right to privacy is protected, and not undermined after the crisis is over. Specifically, we are asking for a clear message from the provincial and federal governments stating […]

BC FIPA, in partnership with the Vancouver Design Nerds, held a two-day design jam in Ottawa March 5th and 6th. The purpose of this event was to explore issues around meaningful consent in the context of everyday life ranging from personal wearable technologies to smart homes and smart cities and their relationship to big data. […]

MEDIA RELEASEMarch 30, 2020 Ministry of Citizens’ Services relaxes restrictions on the use of third-party tools and applications to disclose personal information inside or outside of Canada VANCOUVER, March 30, 2020 – In the time of a global emergency, the protection of privacy and access to information rights needs to be kept at the forefront of […]

View full submission here. The context in which we understand privacy is shifting in the current landscape of big data analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. What was generally considered a broad topic with varying normative understandings is now at the forefront of debates and policy work as the varied stakeholders attempt to narrow its […]

This is the third in our series on the privacy promises we can expect from a Liberal minority government. Information about the Right to Erasure is from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s ‘Digital Charter: Trust in a digital world’, and the Liberal Party of Canada’s election 2019 platform document, ‘Forward: A real plan for the middle […]

This is the second in our series on the privacy promises we can expect from a Liberal minority government. From Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s ‘Digital Charter: Trust in a digital world’, and the Liberal Party of Canada’s election 2019 platform document, ‘Forward: A real plan for the middle class’ (40). In Canada’s Digital Charter, data […]