How GTA police are trying to protect missing persons' 'right to be forgotten' online
CBC
Toronto police are working on a way to minimize the digital footprint left behind in missing persons cases, according to a tweet from earlier this month.
When a person is reported missing, police often publish information like their name, height and weight along with a photograph in a news release or social media post. But the digital footprint left behind can have negative impacts on those who are later found, according to Carly Kalish, the executive director of Victim Services Toronto, a group that provides assistance to victims of crime.
"Every situation is nuanced," she told CBC Toronto, using the example of young girls who have to rebuild their lives as survivors of human trafficking.
"Imagine if you were finding a job after that and your name could be Googled that you were a missing girl," Kalish said. "You know people would make assumptions about what that means about your life."
In response to an active missing person case on Nov. 3, Toronto Police Services tweeted, "In the absence of the 'right to be forgotten,' we are exploring ways to minimize a missing person's digital footprint today for their better tomorrow."
The tweet clarified that identifiers "that may not help to locate someone" had been withheld.
The "right to be forgotten" refers to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), legislation in the European Union that allows EU residents to request organizations to remove information published about them online.
Canada does not currently have any corresponding legislation, though Canadians are protected to some degree under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.
In 2021, an independent review into the way Toronto police handle missing persons cases, conducted by former judge Gloria Epstein, made 151 recommendations to improve investigations. The review was prompted by the force's investigation into numerous people who had disappeared — including the victims of serial killer Bruce McArthur.
In an email to CBC News, a Toronto police spokesperson said the service has not officially made any policy changes around how it tells the public about missing persons, but planning is ongoing. Police said they would have more information about updates to missing persons policies and protocols in "the next couple of months."
"I don't know what their concern is," said Maureen Trask of Puslinch, Ont. "As a family member, I want my son's name out there. I want people to know who he is."
Her 28-year-old son, Daniel, went missing in 2011. His body was located three-and-a-half years later near Lady Evelyn Lake, north of Sudbury, Ont.
Trask, now an advocate for other families of missing loved ones, told CBC Toronto relatives should get the final say on what information gets released to the public.
"I hope what police are looking at is what they put out there to help their investigation. And in most cases, I would say my recommendation is that they align their media releases and don't blindside families," she said.
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