CALGARY — Alberta’s privacy commissioner is urging residents, businesses and public bodies to familiarize themselves with new rules surrounding driver’s licences and identification cards as the province begins issuing IDs containing additional personal information.Starting today, the Alberta government will issue new driver’s licences and identification cards that include personal health numbers (PHNs) and Canadian citizenship markers where applicable — a move that has prompted concerns about privacy and the potential collection of more information than necessary.In response, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) has released three separate guidance documents aimed at helping Albertans, private-sector organizations and public bodies understand how the new information can be collected, used and protected.Information and Privacy Commissioner Diane McLeod said the addition of health numbers and citizenship information creates new privacy risks that Albertans should be aware of.“These changes will create new risks for the added personal information on these documents,” McLeod said in a statement..Alberta first to add citizenship to driver's licences .She said one guidance document is directed at the public and explains how Albertans can protect the information now displayed on their licences and ID cards. Separate guidance documents for organizations and public bodies outline the limits imposed by Alberta privacy laws on collecting the additional information.The changes stem from amendments to provincial legislation, including revisions to the Health Information Act passed through Bill 11 last year.Under the updated law, organizations and public bodies may collect a PHN in certain circumstances even when obtaining the health number is not the primary purpose of the transaction.McLeod previously raised concerns when the legislative changes were introduced, issuing a public statement and writing to the Alberta government about the potential privacy implications.She said businesses and government agencies should review the new guidance to avoid collecting more personal information than required, particularly citizenship information and PHNs.The OIPC said the guidance is intended to reduce the risk of over-collection and help Albertans better understand their privacy rights as the new identification documents are rolled out across the province.The commissioner’s office operates independently of government and oversees Alberta’s privacy and access-to-information laws, including the Access to Information Act, Protection of Privacy Act, Health Information Act and Personal Information Protection Act
