Ann Cavoukian | |
---|---|
3rd Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario | |
In office 1997–2014 | |
Preceded by | Tom Wright |
Succeeded by | Brian Beamish |
Personal details | |
Born | Cairo,Egypt | October 7,1952
Nationality | Canadian |
Alma mater | York University University of Toronto |
Ann Cavoukian (born October 7,1952) is the former Information and Privacy Commissioner for the Canadian province of Ontario. Her concept of privacy by design,which takes privacy into account throughout the system engineering process,was expanded on,as part of a joint Canadian-Dutch team,both before and during her tenure as commissioner of Ontario (1997 to 2014). [1]
She was hired by Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) as a distinguished visiting professor after the end of her three terms as IPC. Cavoukian was appointed executive director of the Ryerson's Privacy and Big Data Institute in 2014. [2] Since 2017,Cavoukian has been the Distinguished Expert-in-Residence of the university's Privacy by Design Centre of Excellence. [3]
Cavoukian was born in Cairo,Egypt [4] in 1952 [5] to ethnic Armenian parents Artin and Lucie Cavoukian, [6] and immigrated to Toronto with her family in 1958. She is the sister of Canadian children's entertainer Raffi and photographer Cavouk Cavoukian. [4]
She holds a B.A. from York University and received an MA and Ph.D in psychology from the University of Toronto,where she specialized in criminology and law. [7]
In the 1980s,she headed the Research Services Branch for the provincial Attorney General. [8]
She joined the Ontario provincial Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner in 1987. Cavoukian served as its first Director of Compliance followed by her appointment as Assistant Commissioner in 1990. [8]
She was initially appointed commissioner in 1997,and is the first Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC) of Ontario to have been re-appointed for a third term. [9] Serving as an officer of the provincial legislature,the commissioner is independent of the government of the day.
On March 29,2005,Commissioner Cavoukian spoke out against the adoption disclosure Bill 183, Adoption Information Disclosure Act, stating that the proposed law needed an amendment giving birth parents and adoptees from adoptions that occurred prior to the passing of this retroactive law the right,if desired,to file a disclosure veto to prevent the opening of their sealed files.[ citation needed ] [10]
The Adoption Information Disclosure Act received Royal Assent on November 3,2005,without Commissioner Cavoukian's proposed disclosure veto.
On September 19,2007,Justice Belobaba,of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled the Adoption Information Disclosure Act as unconstitutional –it breached section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and thus,the sections of the Act relating to access to birth registration information are invalid.[ citation needed ]
On November 14,2007,the government of Ontario introduced new adoption legislation that includes both a disclosure veto for adoptees and birth parents in adoptions that have already taken place and also promotes openness for adoptions where a disclosure veto is not registered and for all future adoptions.[ citation needed ] The Access to Adoption Records Act includes both a disclosure veto for adoptees and birth parents in adoptions that have already taken place.
On November 1,2004, Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) took effect granting the province of Ontario its first health information privacy legislation governing the collection,use and disclosure of personal health information. Cavoukian had been an advocate of this legislation since the office of the IPC was first formed in 1987.[ citation needed ]
The IPC became the oversight agency for the new law. As of November 1,2004 patients who are denied access to their own personal health records,or who believe that their personal health information was collected,used or disclosed contrary to the new legislation,can complain to the IPC.[ citation needed ]
During her tenure,Cavoukian issued eleven Health Orders under PHIPA.
Cavoukian created the concept of Privacy by Design. [11] In 2010 the annual assembly of International Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution recognizing privacy by design as an essential component of fundamental privacy protection. Privacy by design later became a core part of the European Union GDPR regulations. [12]
In November 2007,the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) announced plans to expand its video surveillance program,which resulted in a formal complaint to Commissioner Cavoukian from Privacy International,a U.K.-based organization,citing concerns that the TTC's proposed expansion was a violation of privacy laws. In response to this complaint,Cavoukian launched an investigation where she ruled that the TTC's expansion of its video surveillance system did not contravene any applicable privacy laws. As part of her investigation,she made 13 recommendations to the TTC,which were all implemented. She also encouraged the TTC to conduct a pilot project to test the use of a privacy-enhancing video surveillance technology developed by researchers at the University of Toronto. [13]
Cavoukian was awarded an honorary LL.D by the University of Guelph at the Fall 2014 convocation. [14]
She was hired by Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) as a distinguished visiting professor after the end of her three terms as IPC. Cavoukian was appointed executive director of the university's Privacy and Big Data Institute in 2014. [2]
Since 2017,Cavoukian has been the Distinguished Expert-in-Residence of the university's Privacy by Design Centre of Excellence. [3] [15]
In 2017,Sidewalk Labs,a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. (parent company of Google LLC),partnered with Waterfront Toronto to begin developing a smart city area in the 12 acre sector called Quayside. [16] The project was heralded as a premier example that "would develop a whole new district of Toronto as a working model of a new type of smart city". [17] Sidewalk Labs touted the Quayside Project as "an experimental urban neighbourhood 'from the internet up'". [18] The project was occurring within the larger context of the Smart Cities Challenge,a competition for $80 million in Canadian government funding,although it was not seeking funding under the competition. [19]
The proposed Sidewalk Labs development raised concerns around the breadth and depth of information collected under the project's umbrella. "Quayside may be one of the most sensor-laden neighbourhoods [proposed] in North America...It's being imagined as the sort of place where garbage cans and recycling bins can keep track of when and how often they're used,environmental probes can measure noise and pollution over time and cameras can collect data to model and improve the flow of cars,people,buses and bikes throughout the day". [19] It was noted that "Access to those systems and the use of that data,in this private-public partnership,will raise novel policy questions for governments about privacy and governance.” [16]
As the project was seen as a potential standard-setting benchmark in the development of smart cities worldwide,researchers raised concerns about the value of the data collected by Alphabet in the course of the project and how that value might be negotiated with the City of Toronto- as well as the ways that data would be collected and managed. [17] [18] These issues were acknowledged by Waterfront Toronto's board of directors in March 2018:"Privacy,data governance,cyber security and the ethical use of technology are complex questions which need to be addressed in a robust way to ensure that the Sidewalk Toronto initiative progresses in a way that encourages innovation while preserving the public good". [20] The Board of Directors committed to "ensuring that the corporation has a robust team of independent advisors to ensure the protection of individual privacy rights for those who live,learn,work and visit within the new neighborhood". [20] As part of that commitment,Ann Cavoukian was retained by Sidewalks Lab "to advise them on their privacy framework,and they have made a commitment to approaching all of their solutions with Privacy by Design at their foundation". [20]
By October 2018,Cavoukian resigned from the Sidewalk Labs citing concerns that the project was not consistent with her widely respected "Privacy by Design" principles. While initially assured by Sidewalk Labs that they would de-identify all collected data at the source,Cavoukian was told at an October 15,2018 meeting that Sidewalk Labs could not force the additional third parties involved in the data collection to similarly commit to de-identify data collected at the source. [21] The de-identification of data at source was significant according to Cavoukian because "the smart city will likely be filled with sensors and other devices that will collect information 24/7,but their pervasiveness will make it to difficult to get consent from every person whose data is being collected". [22] Cavoukian stated,“When I heard that,I said,'I’m sorry. I can’t support this. I have to resign because you committed to embedding privacy by design into every aspect of your operation'.” [21] Her letter of resignation stated "I imagined us creating a smart city of privacy,as opposed to a smart city of surveillance". [23]
Cavoukian met with Waterfront Toronto on November 5,2018,to call for the immediate de-identification of data at the source and to express her willingness to continue working with the organization. [24] Cavoukian stated,“We don’t want people worrying about where they’re coming and going. We certainly don’t want a city of surveillance. That’s not on.” [21]
Cavoukian participated in a panel discussion at the 2019 ITAC Smart Cities Technology Summit in Brampton,Ontario. At one point,she said: [25]
I’m not the only one who talks about the concern for privacy in smart cities. I’m on the International Council of Smart Cities and I assure you, most of the smart cities that are emerging are becoming cities of surveillance, not of privacy.
Cavoukian published two books on privacy with co-authors:
The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act is a Canadian law relating to data privacy. It governs how private sector organizations collect, use and disclose personal information in the course of commercial business. In addition, the Act contains various provisions to facilitate the use of electronic documents. PIPEDA became law on 13 April 2000 to promote consumer trust in electronic commerce. The act was also intended to reassure the European Union that the Canadian privacy law was adequate to protect the personal information of European citizens. In accordance with section 29 of PIPEDA, Part I of the Act must be reviewed by Parliament every five years. The first Parliamentary review occurred in 2007.
A privacy policy is a statement or legal document that discloses some or all of the ways a party gathers, uses, discloses, and manages a customer or client's data. Personal information can be anything that can be used to identify an individual, not limited to the person's name, address, date of birth, marital status, contact information, ID issue, and expiry date, financial records, credit information, medical history, where one travels, and intentions to acquire goods and services. In the case of a business, it is often a statement that declares a party's policy on how it collects, stores, and releases personal information it collects. It informs the client what specific information is collected, and whether it is kept confidential, shared with partners, or sold to other firms or enterprises. Privacy policies typically represent a broader, more generalized treatment, as opposed to data use statements, which tend to be more detailed and specific.
Elections Ontario is an independent office of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario responsible for the administration of provincial elections and referendums. It is charged with the implementation and enforcement of the Election Act, Election Finances Act, Representation Acts (various), as well as specific portions of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, Taxpayer Protection Act, 1999, and Fluoridation Act. The agency collects information about political parties, candidates, constituency association, leadership contestants, and third parties involved in Ontario politics. Elections Ontario is led by the Chief Electoral Officer, a non-partisan Officer of the Legislative Assembly chosen by an all-party committee. Greg Essensa, appointed in 2008, is the current Chief Electoral Officer. His predecessor was John Hollins, who held the position from 2001 to 2008.
The Adoption Information Disclosure Act, formally An Act respecting the disclosure of information and records to adopted persons and birth parents, also known as Bill 183, is an Ontario (Canada) law regarding the disclosure of information between parties involved in adoptions.
The Canadian Council of Natural Mothers (CCNM) is a Canadian lobby group for the rights of women who have placed children for adoption, founded in 1999. It is opposed to most continuing adoption practices, arguing that adoption is traumatic for mothers and frequently does not benefit their children as currently practised. To support mothers, CCNM maintains an active email group which discusses issues which pertain to those who have experienced adoption loss and those who may be in reunion with lost family members. Members of the CCNM also at attend adoption related conferences, government meetings and meetings with social services agencies to educate people about the experiences of natural mothers and argue for improved policies, practices and rights of mothers and adopted people.
Jennifer Stoddart was the sixth Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
Tyler Jay Hamilton is a Canadian author, cleantech expert and former business and technology reporter specializing in clean technology. He is currently Director of Cleantech at MaRS Discovery District, and a former adjunct professor at York University's Faculty of Environmental Studies. Previously, Hamilton was Editor-in-Chief of Corporate Knights magazine, and Climate and Economy Reporter with the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily-circulation newspaper.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides essential information on Canada's health systems and the health of Canadians. CIHI provides comparable and actionable data and information that are used to accelerate improvements in health care, health system performance and population health across Canada.
The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario was established as an officer of the Legislature by Ontario's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, which came into effect on January 1, 1988. The current commissioner is Patricia Kosseim.
Onnig J. "Cavouk" Cavoukian is a Canadian-Armenian photographer.
Privacy by design is an approach to systems engineering initially developed by Ann Cavoukian and formalized in a joint report on privacy-enhancing technologies by a joint team of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (Canada), the Dutch Data Protection Authority, and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research in 1995. The privacy by design framework was published in 2009 and adopted by the International Assembly of Privacy Commissioners and Data Protection Authorities in 2010. Privacy by design calls for privacy to be taken into account throughout the whole engineering process. The concept is an example of value sensitive design, i.e., taking human values into account in a well-defined manner throughout the process.
East Bayfront LRT, also known as the Waterfront East LRT, is a planned Toronto streetcar line that would serve the East Bayfront and Port Lands areas in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It would run from Union station under Bay Street and along Queens Quay and Cherry Street to a new loop along Commissioners Street east of Cherry Street on Ookwemin Minising. It would complement the existing 509 Harbourfront service that connects Union Station to Queens Quay west of Bay Street. Longer-term plans are to extend the East Bayfront line from Cherry and Commissioners Streets to the planned East Harbour Transit Hub along GO Transit's Lakeshore East line and the planned Ontario Line.
The Personal Health Information Protection Act, also known as PHIPA, is Ontario legislation established in November 2004. PHIPA is one of two components of the Health Information Protection Act 2004.
Ann Marie Curtis, née McCarthy, was a Canadian politician, who served as the reeve of the Toronto suburb of Long Branch, Ontario from 1953 to her retirement in 1962. She was the first, and only, woman to become reeve of Long Branch. She and Dorothy Hague of the Village of Swansea were the first women to become reeves or mayors in the Toronto area, both taking office for the first time on January 1, 1953. As reeve, she also served on Metropolitan Toronto Council from its creation in 1953 until 1962 and was the first woman on its executive.
The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act is an Act of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The Act legislates access to information held by public institutions in Ontario subject to specific requirements to safeguard the personal information of individuals.
Sidewalk Labs LLC is an urban planning and infrastructure subsidiary of Google. Its stated goal is to improve urban infrastructure through technological solutions, and tackle issues such as cost of living, efficient transportation and energy usage. The company was headed by Daniel L. Doctoroff, former Deputy Mayor of New York City for economic development and former chief executive of Bloomberg L.P. until 2021. Other notable employees include Craig Nevill-Manning, co-founder of Google's New York office and inventor of Froogle, and Rohit Aggarwala, who served as chief policy officer of the company and is now Commissioner of New York City Department of Environmental Protection. It was originally part of Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company, before being absorbed into Google in 2022 following Doctoroff's departure from the company.
Quayside is a waterfront district Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located between Queens Quay East and Parliament Street. The 4.9 hectares site is owned by Waterfront Toronto, the City of Toronto and CreateTO and private landowners. In June 2023, Waterfront Toronto proposed a new master-planned mixed-use development of the former dockland and industrial site to succeed Sidewalk Toronto, an unrealised smart city proposed by Alphabet Inc. subsidiary Sidewalk Labs.
Sidewalk Toronto was a cancelled urban development project proposed by Sidewalk Labs at Quayside, a waterfront area in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The project was first initiated by Waterfront Toronto in 2017 by issuing the request for proposal (RFP) for development on the Quayside area. Sidewalk Labs, a subsidiary of Google, issued the winning bid in 2017. The Master Innovation Development Plan (MIDP) was created in 2019 through conversations with over 21,000 Toronto residents and had aimed to be an innovative reinvention of Toronto's neglected eastern downtown waterfront.
Saadia Muzaffar is a Canadian entrepreneur, author and founder of TechGirls Canada.
Rohit T. "Rit" Aggarwala is an Indian-American environmental policy adviser, transportation planner, historian, and civil servant who is New York City’s Chief Climate Officer as well as the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.
{{cite web}}
: |author=
has generic name (help)