Canadian legislators in the House of Commons recently introduced Bill C-11 to enact the Consumer Privacy Protection Act. Bill C-11 embodies the principles of Canada’s Digital Charter, which envisions the internet as a tool for both innovation and the public good.
Over the past year, Canadians — just like much of the world — have increasingly lived their lives online. The pandemic pushed us to use the internet in new ways: digital doctor visits, first dates and family dinners over Zoom, grocery shopping via apps.
The pandemic has not only magnified the value of the internet, but also what’s wrong with it. Newsfeeds that spread misinformation. Digital ads that track and target us. Algorithms that make opaque decisions about our credit ratings or our dating lives. Smart speakers that listen to — and store — our every word.
In short: the internet is indispensable — and imperfect.
At this fraught moment in our digital society, Canada has a major opportunity to address much of what’s wrong online. Several weeks ago, Canadian legislators in the House of Commons introduced Bill C-11 to enact the Consumer Privacy Protection Act.
Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Date: January 14th, 2021
Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/opinion-digital-privacy-bill-c11-1.5863117
Discussion
- ” grocery or retail points programs often tailor rewards to match the foods and products that members of the program purchase most often, meaning that different people receive different discounts based on the data that has been collected. While this might seem more efficient, it also creates inequality as people that do not use a program’s app cannot access the same modest discounts on everyday essentials available to a member. ” Should there be a law to protect against this?
- ” Imagine if your Amazon shopping history and habits lived not on Amazon, but in something like a co-op or credit union that you belonged to. You could decide how much of that data Amazon gets to see — and how much you want to hold back. ” How would this be useful, and would it work?
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