Canadian Privacy Commissioner Reveals Websites Sharing User Data Inappropriately

By: Kevin Green  |   October 2nd, 2012   |   News, O Canada

Canada’s Privacy Commissioner, Jennifer Stoddart, said late last month that some of Canada’s top websites and domains were handling the personal information of users inappropriately. She highlighted the practice of passing along the details of subscribers to advertisers and third-parties as practices that made the federal privacy watchdog extremely nervous.

 

The federal body had commissioned a research study that tested 25 shopping, travel and media websites from Canada. The results of the study were very shocking and the report state that one-quarter of the sites reviewed had notable concerns.

 

Stoddart mentioned that the data being used improperly included names, email addresses and postal codes. All this was taking place with the knowledge or consent of the user. She also pointed out that such practices could be breaking Canadian privacy laws.

 

The Privacy office revealed an instance of what they considered inappropriate use of data by giving the example of online sign ups for promotions. The commissioner stated that the email, username and location were shared with marketing firms and analytics providers. Another example involved a “well-known Canadian media site” that gave user data like usernames, emails, and postal codes to a “content delivery, marketing company, an advertising network, and a news content provider.” The information was gathered when users registered to manage their subscriptions or post comments on the site.

 

Stoddart said that the websites her office had tested were not run of the mill small operations but rather popular sites run by large organizations. She did not name any websites directly but did mention that the research found “significant” privacy concerns with six of the tested sites.

 

Stoddart stated that, “Our research serves as a wake-up call to all online services to ensure they are complying with Canadian law — and respecting the privacy rights of people who use their sites.” She went on to say that, “It is clearly possible for organizations to operate successfully in the online world without leaking people’s personal information — a majority of the websites we looked at were not doing it.”

 

After the report, New Democrat MP Charmaine Borg, asked the federal government to “take serious steps to address the serious privacy concerns of Canadians.”

 

It is to be noted that Stoddart has already contacted 11 companies to ask for more information about how they deal with user information and how they will comply with Canada’s privacy laws.

 

Source: CBC