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Canada Announces Privacy Bill That Strengthens Data Protections and Allows De-Identified Data Use
Canada announced Bill C-36, the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act, in June. The bill marks the first major overhaul of private-sector privacy legislation in more than 25 years and recognizes privacy as a fundamental right. It includes stronger protections for children's data and rules on automated decisions.
Jul 10, 6:12 PM·1m read1 source
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Canada announced Bill C-36, the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act, in June. Al Jazeera reported that the legislation is the country's first major overhaul of private-sector privacy rules in more than 25 years. The bill explicitly recognizes privacy as a fundamental right.
Bill C-36 aims to strengthen protections for children's personal information, enhance deletion rights and require greater transparency where automated systems make significant decisions about people. It expands the definition of personal information to include inferred information and requires organizations to explain certain automated decisions.
Information belonging to anyone under 18 is classified as inherently sensitive, giving young people stronger rights to delete their data.
The reforms come after an 18-year-old suspect in the Tumbler Ridge shooting in British Columbia in February allegedly used ChatGPT before the attack. Al Jazeera reported that the victims' families are suing OpenAI, stating the company's AI safety team identified violent prompts but did not alert law enforcement.
The province of British Columbia announced it is preparing legal action against OpenAI.
Evan Solomon, Canada’s minister of AI and digital innovation, stated the government’s responsibility is “to protect Canadians online and to ensure Canadians can benefit from artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. These goals are not mutually exclusive”.
He added that Bill C-36 establishes a framework for the responsible use of de-identified data with safeguards to reduce re-identification risks while supporting research, accountability and innovation.
