Microsoft security experts say hackers affiliated with the notorious Clop ransomware group are behind an attack on a third-party file sharing system that resulted in the theft of personal data belonging to Nova Scotians. The Nova Scotia government said it is still trying to determine how many people had their data stolen in the attack…

Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne has dismissed all complaints over federal vaccine and quarantine mandates, arguing COVID-19 pandemic measures enforced by the Liberal government were necessary and justifiable under the Privacy Act. “The urgency of limiting the spread of the virus was understandably a significant challenge for government and public health authorities,” Dufresne wrote in a report…

Canada’s federal privacy commissioner and several of his provincial counterparts are in the midst of an investigation into the artificial intelligence (AI) company that makes ChatGPT because of a confidential complaint alleging the technology has been violating Canadians’ privacy. Specifically, the complaint alleges that U.S.-based OpenAI “collected, used and disclosed” personal information “without consent,” according…

The federal government had both security and privacy concerns with the Beijing-linked video-sharing app TikTok as early as 2020, federal records show, despite not banning the app on government-issued devices until early 2023. Cabinet disclosed on May 15 in an Inquiry of Ministry all the memorandums and briefing notes received by ministers or their staff about…

The popular but controversial short-form video streaming application TikTok is under investigation by Canada’s federal privacy watchdog and three of the country’s provincial privacy commissioners over concerns about the app’s disclosure of users’ personal information. The investigation will be undertaken by the office of federal Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne, along with respective provincial privacy authorities for…

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) is currently looking into three files pertaining to the Trudeau government invoking the Emergencies Act last winter, including the order telling financial institutions to send information on “designated persons” to security agencies. The Office provided this information in a Jan. 24 brief submitted to the Special Joint Committee…

The federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act in response to the Freedom Convoy protests last winter was no excuse for infringing on Canadians’ privacy, says federal Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne. “I recognize emergencies evolve rapidly and require swift and effective responses to address extraordinary public needs,” Dufresne wrote to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Declaration…

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) said on Dec. 29 it was unaware of a Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) program to collect vast swaths of online data from Canadians to understand vaccine hesitancy and then target the individuals with tailored messaging to try changing their minds. “I am not aware of any interactions…