Privacy commissioner pans feds' planned privacy reforms, says changes needed

OTTAWA -- The federal government’s planned private sector privacy law reforms, promised to give Canadians more control over how companies handle their personal information online, need to be amended or privacy protections will take “a step back,” according to Federal Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien. Months ago the Liberals brought forward new legislation looking to update privacy protections for consumers who are increasingly seeing their personal information accessed, analyzed, and sometimes breached by the businesses they interact with. But if it is to advance, numerous changes are needed in the eyes of Canada’s top privacy watchdog. As part of this new approach, the government wants to force companies to be more transparent and clear in their language about how Canadians’ personal information is handled, used, and shared, before they collect it. “The bill would give consumers less control and organizations more flexibility in monetizing personal data, without increasing their accountability,” Therrien said.