Feds rebuffed advice on COVID-19 phone data collection, privacy commissioner says

Daniel Therrien told a House of Commons committee that he offered to review how the data was being anonymized, but the government consulted its own privacy advisers instead.

The federal privacy commissioner says his offer to advise the government on the implications of collecting data from millions of mobile phones during the COVID-19 pandemic was rebuffed.

Daniel Therrien told a House of Commons committee this week that he offered to review how the data was being anonymized, but the government consulted its own privacy advisers instead.

Members of Parliament passed a motion on Tuesday that called on the government to suspend a plan to extend the collection of mobile-phone location data. The MPs wanted privacy concerns to be looked into first.

NDP MP Matthew Green said there were “serious concerns” that the government has so far refused requests to pause the second phase of mobile data collection.

“Canadians all expect a certain level of privacy, especially when it comes to their cellphones, and we need to take a closer look to see if our current laws and regulations are sufficient in our current age of big data,” Green said.

The Public Health Agency of Canada has said the data would be used to help the government understand travel patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The office of Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the data does not contain personal information that would identify anyone and it is committed to safeguarding privacy.

A statement from the minister’s office said its priority was keeping Canadians healthy and safe while upholding privacy standards.