The Department of Environment is tracking the location of more than 715,000 Canadians who downloaded what ex-Minister Catherine McKenna once called a “super cool” weather app, records show..According to Blacklock's Reporter, staff said they also collected users’ email addresses, but insisted the data scoop complied with privacy law..“All personal information created, held or collected via this app by the department is protected under the Privacy Act,” the department wrote in an Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the House of Commons..“The ‘current location’ function on this app enables the app to provide weather information based on the current Global Positioning System location of your mobile device.”.The department launched the app in 2019 at an undisclosed cost. It gives users hourly weather forecasts, blizzard warnings, tornado alerts and other data..“As climate change brings more extreme variations in weather Canadians are using mobile devices to stay up to date,” the department said in a statement at the time. “That is why the Government of Canada has developed an app that will keep Canadians safe.”.“Oh yes!!” then-Environment Minister McKenna tweeted at the app’s launch. “WeatherCan app is available for download! Now I can obsess over the super cool radar feature and figure out the likelihood of getting home to snowy Ottawa tonight to see my kids! Check it out!”.“The number of monthly active users is 628,615 to June 1 and the number of inactive users in the last thirty days is 87,176 giving a total number of devices tracked of 715,791,” said the Inquiry. The figures were requested by Conservative MP Tako Van Popta (Langly-Aldergrove) who sought details of “government programs conducting surveillance or getting information from Canadians through their phones or other mobile devices.”.Managers of the WeatherCan app said they tracked users’ location to provide local forecasts. “The ‘current location’ function on this app enables the app to provide weather information based on the current Global Positioning System location of your mobile device,” said the Inquiry. “To allow this functionality data will be transmitted to the department for the purpose of identifying the mobile device geo-location.”.“If you choose to disable this function the following information is collected: device model, version of app in use and your email address along with any information you choose to provide in the text input field,” wrote staff, adding: “By using this app you consent.”.The Office of the Privacy Commissioner in a 2012 report for app developers said click-box consent may not be sufficient. “Conveying meaningful information about privacy choices is not a simple exercise even in a desktop environment,” said the report..“The unique nature of personal information flowing through mobile devices, the challenge of the small screen and the speed of the mobile app development cycle all make for a unique environment that underscores the need for comprehensive privacy protections,” said Privacy Practices. Apps had unique sensors that permit surveillance “to follow where we go,” it said.
