Entitled “Back on the Data Trail: The Evolution of Canada’s Data Broker Industry”, the project will explore the state of the industry’s practices and identify problems in the interpretation and application of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) – problems that could potentially be resolved through interpretation or amendment of the law. To improve public awareness of the data brokerage industry and how Canadians’ personal information is being collected, shared, and used, a FAQ, podcast, and report of research findings will be published online. An interactive web page will also be developed to depict how personal information flows into the data broker market to give Canadians a more intuitive way of understanding the nature of the industry, the sources of its data, and the uses of such data. CIPPIC’s Director, David Fewer, serves as the primary researcher for this project.
The Office of the Privacy Commissionner funds independent privacy research and related knowledge translation initiatives through its ContributionsProgram. The goal of the program is to generate new ideas, approaches and knowledge about privacy that organizations can apply to better safeguard personal information and that individual Canadians can use to make more informed decisions about protecting their privacy.