Evidence of meeting #53 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was data.
A video is available from Parliament.
4:25 p.m.
NDP
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
What percentage of Google users browse in “incognito” mode?
4:25 p.m.
Policy Manager, Google Canada, Google Inc.
I don't have that in front of me right now. It's not insignificant. Also, the way people use it, they use it selectively. They may have specific searches that they don't want any record being held, or they may simply, as I explained, be using a device they do not have usual control over. They choose to use that tool, so there's no trace left of their usage on the machine itself.
4:25 p.m.
NDP
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
So if everyone used that mode at all times, you would lose a tremendous amount of money.
4:25 p.m.
Policy Manager, Google Canada, Google Inc.
No, you know how I would phrase that? I would actually turn it around. I would say that if everyone used that mode, and you had advertising that was less relevant to your specific interests as a skier, or as a hunter, or as a parent, you would have more generic advertising that would be less effective.
This would mean that businesses would have to spend more money, advertising with very broad and clumsy tools, to try to attract their customers, so in fact we would all find that more expensive.
4:25 p.m.
NDP
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
That's an interesting answer.
I want to pick up on something my colleague, Ms. Borg, mentioned. It had to do with the idea that, under the terms of use, one can select an option that enables you to override Canadian laws in favour of foreign ones. That option exists currently. Don't you think Canadian laws should take precedence over foreign laws here in Canada, from Google Canada's standpoint?
4:25 p.m.
Policy Manager, Google Canada, Google Inc.
Are you speaking specifically about privacy legislation?
4:25 p.m.
Policy Manager, Google Canada, Google Inc.
In effect, Canadian privacy legislation, since it has a comprehensive national impact, is in some ways stronger than that in the United States. We feel we meet Canadian privacy legislation, just as we meet European privacy legislation. In effect, by meeting Canadian and European privacy legislation, that boat is floating to a higher level. We're meeting that higher standard.
4:25 p.m.
NDP
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Every company and every government has its own rules and legislation. On top of that, users have to deal with the reality of all the different definitions of what constitutes personal information, either for the multitude of tools or for the social media out there. At some point, users don't really know what definition Facebook or Google uses, or which laws apply where they live.
Don't you think that could lead to a sort of mass confusion?
4:25 p.m.
Policy Manager, Google Canada, Google Inc.
We're very specific about the information we collect and why we're collecting it from users. We're also very specific about the information we don't use in creating these buckets and providing services to advertisers. Some of the information that you would consider the most sensitive, whether it's political views or whether it's health issues, we don't consider at all. Then in other instances, when you're using our products, like Google+, it's very explicit to you why you're providing this information and why we're using it.
That's the farthest we can go; we can be honest with you, as a user, on why we need this information and how we're going to provide the service to you that would require this information.
4:30 p.m.
NDP
4:30 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP Pierre-Luc Dusseault
You are absolutely right, Mr. Boulerice.
There's no else on the list, so I'm going to take the opportunity to ask you a question of my own. That's something I seldom do.
I have to tell you, I wasn't aware of “incognito” mode before. My question has to do with the potential of people using it for nefarious or illegal purposes, such as child pornography. Can you still retrieve some data, or is it impossible, even in specific instances where the option could benefit certain individuals?
4:30 p.m.
Policy Manager, Google Canada, Google Inc.
In the situation you're describing, there's a level of complexity. When we're talking about the incognito mode, we are not collecting information about your searches. We're not collecting information about your behaviour in using the browser.
If you're, in fact, talking about behaviour that could be damaging or illegal or seditious, you're likely engaging in other activities that would then signal or send a flag, or be noticeable through other forms of communication and transmission online. Those would be more traditional log analyses, the sort of materials we use and every company and every government uses to identify illegal behaviour. But incognito mode itself, you're right, is a very secure tool that offers a confidence to the user.
4:30 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP Pierre-Luc Dusseault
Thank you.
Thank you for appearing before the committee today. It was a real pleasure to have you.
For the committee members, I want to clarify that our meeting will now continue in camera, since we will be discussing witnesses and the list is not yet public information.
Once again, thank you to our Google representative, Mr. McKay, for speaking to us today.
[Proceedings continue in camera]