Saturday, May 28, 2005

BC Commissioner issues first order under province's private sector privacy law

I just got back from a week in Sweden to find an overflowing inbox. One message was from Cappone D'Angelo of McCarthy's in Vancouver who has pointed me to the first order issued under the Personal Information Protection Act of BC. A media advisory is on the Commissioner's site, pointing to the 26-page decision.

The Commissioner considered a complaint brought against a retail franchisee who was requiring personal information (and ID in some cases) to process returns. The Commissioner found that the practice was reasonable to fight fraud, "necessary" as the term is used in the Act and permissible. The company was not allowed, however, to use this information for customer satisfaction surveys and is not allowed to retain it indefinitely.

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