The federal privacy commissioner said yesterday that emergency powers invoked against the Freedom Convoy were no excuse for privacy breaches. “Privacy protection is not just a set of technical rules,” Commissioner Philippe Dufresne a parliamentary committee, according to Blacklock's Reporter..“I recognize emergencies evolve rapidly and require swift and effective responses to address extraordinary public needs,” Dufresne wrote the Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency. “However, even in an emergency, public institutions must continue to operate under lawful authority and act responsibly particularly with respect to handling information that may be considered sensitive.”.“Privacy protection is not just a set of technical rules and regulations, but rather represents a continuing imperative to preserve fundamental rights and democratic values even in exceptional circumstances,” he wrote..Dufresne promised by June 21 to publish the first of a series of reports on privacy complaints over pandemic measures, including use of the Emergencies Act against protesters outside Parliament Hill. Internal records show that police compiled a blacklist identifying demonstrators by name. The blacklist was then distributed through Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland (University-Rosedale, ON)'s office and lobbyists like the Mutual Fund Dealers Association..“Measures taken by institutions to address a public order emergency should be necessary and proportionate,” wrote Dufresne. “This applies both within the context of existing measures and in deciding on new actions taken to address a crisis. Necessary means that measures are more than potentially useful.”.Dufresne said he would also report on a complaint by Conservative MP James Bezan (Selkirk-Interlake, MB) regarding unauthorized disclosure of a Freedom Convoy donors’ list. American hackers last February 13 named more than 100,000 donors who contributed $12.4 million to protesters through the crowdfunding site GiveSendGo..“On March 15, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner received a complaint from Bezan related to a series of breaches at a crowdfunding site that resulted in the exfiltration and partial publication of Canadians’ personal information,” wrote the Commissioner. “We are currently investigating the breach, including whether the site had adequate safeguards in place and whether breach reporting requirements were met. We expect to complete the investigation in the spring of 2023.”.Investigation reports are also pending on complaints that air and rail passengers were required to disclose personal medical information as a condition of travel, and a federal mandate that required 283,000 government employees to submit proof of vaccination under threat of suspension without pay. The vaccine mandates were lifted last June 20.
