Close X
Monday, November 18, 2024
ADVT 
National

Canadian Tire broke privacy laws on facial ID technology, privacy commissioner says

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 20 Apr, 2023 12:16 PM
  • Canadian Tire broke privacy laws on facial ID technology, privacy commissioner says

Photo courtesy of Instagram (@CanadianTire)

VICTORIA — British Columbia’s privacy commissioner says Canadian Tire stores that used facial recognition technology didn’t adequately notify their customers and didn’t get consent to collect the personal information. 

Michael McEvoy’s report says even if the four stores he investigated had obtained permission, they were still required to show a reasonable purpose for collecting the information, which the investigation found they didn’t do. 

Twelve Canadian Tire stores were using the technology for about three years, saying it was needed for theft and staff safety, but the systems were removed and the information destroyed when the commissioner notified the chain that four stores were under investigation. 

McEvoy says highly sensitive biometric information was captured by the systems between 2018 and 2021, and the stores would have had to make a compelling case to show it was reasonable to collect the precise mathematical rendering of each person's face.

He says the stores contravened the Personal Information Protection Act and he has made recommendations to the government and the stores. 

McEvoy says the stores need to develop and maintain a robust privacy management plan, while the B.C. government should change the laws that regulate the sale of biometric technology and create additional obligations for organizations that use it. 

The commissioner says it’s ironic that there are regulations for those who sell and install old closed-circuit television systems, but not for those who deploy the even more invasive facial recognition technology.

“I recognize retailers face a challenging environment, however they have to carefully consider the privacy rights of their customers before buying and installing new technologies that gather very sensitive personal information,” he said in a statement.  

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Visa delays leave international students in limbo

Visa delays leave international students in limbo
Students, universities, immigration consultants and even the High Commission of India have raised concerns about delayed visas putting many students' studies at risk. The High Commission of India in Ottawa said in a statement it was talking to Canadian universities about what can be done to accommodate the large number of Indian international students who are still waiting for visas.

Visa delays leave international students in limbo

Housing with OD services to be offered in Nanaimo

Housing with OD services to be offered in Nanaimo
Mental Health and Addictions Minister Sheila Malcolmson has announced the project in the Vancouver Island community alongside Mayor Leonard Krog, and she says in a release that the aim is to provide services in existing supportive housing.

Housing with OD services to be offered in Nanaimo

Man charged over multiple attacks in Vancouver

Man charged over multiple attacks in Vancouver
They include a 70-year-old man who police say was tackled to the ground, a 33-year-old woman who was punched in the face and a 23-year-old woman police say had been stabbed.  

Man charged over multiple attacks in Vancouver

Two B.C. blazes to lose 'wildfire of note' status

Two B.C. blazes to lose 'wildfire of note' status
The downgrading of the fires comes as Environment Canada issues heat warnings for Whistler, Squamish, Sunshine Coast, East Vancouver Island and Inland Vancouver Island.

Two B.C. blazes to lose 'wildfire of note' status

IHIT investigating homicide in Surrey

IHIT investigating homicide in Surrey
The police found the 47-year-old man having sustained life-threatening injuries. First responders performed emergency first aid, but the victim did not survive.  IHIT has now taken over the investigation. 

IHIT investigating homicide in Surrey

Well-being of Canadian doctors declining: survey

Well-being of Canadian doctors declining: survey
The Canadian Medical Association's national physician health survey, released Thursday, indicates that 53 per cent of respondents reported symptoms of burnout, including emotional exhaustion. The reported burnout rate among doctors was 1.7 times higher than it was in the association's previous survey in 2017.

Well-being of Canadian doctors declining: survey