The Erosion of Privacy
Presenter: Tanya Long
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Privacy is considered to be a fundamental human right, a moral and social good, and is recognized as such in numerous international declarations. But specific laws protecting privacy vary and are often vague or limited in scope.
In Canada numerous court decisions have recognized the existence of a constitutional right to privacy under sections 7 and 8 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Privacy Act protects personal information held by the federal government. It is a key piece of Canada's overall framework for protecting our privacy interests. For private sector organizations the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) sets out rules for how organizations involved in a commercial activity can collect, use or share personal information. The Privacy Commissioner of Canada, an independent agent of Parliament, oversees compliance with The Privacy Act and PIPEDA. The Commissioner has powers to receive and investigate complaints.
Our online activities are constantly monitored. Small example: my parents are from Finland so I looked up some information about Finland. Now every time I go down the Google rabbit hole, I find several items having to do with Finland. I called a hearing clinic to set up an appointment; now I get several ads for hearing clinics. My purchases from Amazon result in ads for related products. I am not on social media but if I were, I have no doubt similar examples would multiply.
In April 2026, Avi Lewis, newly elected leader of the NDP, tabled a motion in Parliament to ban surveillance pricing, the use of personal data to charge Canadians different prices for the same product. Companies track data such as income, location, browsing history and past purchases to determine one's willingness to pay. Two customers shopping in the same store can be charged different prices for the same item. Avi Lewis's motion calls for the federal government to prohibit this in store and on line.
Meta AI Smart glasses are wearable eyewear that combine built-in cameras, open-ear audio, voice assistant and AI-powered features. These glasses have some practical purposes: translations of menus or other documents, answering calls, navigation, reminders. But people can be recorded without their knowledge. This creates a very serious issue for invasion of privacy. The jump from smart accessory to portable surveillance device is a small one.
What I have written above is the tip of the iceberg. Some questions present themselves:
1. Do you think the right to privacy is important?
2. What do we mean by privacy?
3. What can we do to protect our privacy rights?
4. What more should the government do?
5. With the powerfulness of companies like Google, Amazon, Meta and social media sites, are we fighting a losing battle?
6. Given how much people share on social media, does it seem like many people don't care about privacy?
7. What examples do you have of your privacy rights being violated?
Please join the Zoom Meeting here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/971381033