You've put your finger on what may be unquestionably one of the biggest issues, if not the biggest issue, that our private sector companies, global companies, and our government face. And that's the issue of outsourcing, particularly around sensitive data. The issue is particularly acute in a governmental context when you move towards that outsourcing. Where it was previously just the government that controlled the information subject to something like the Privacy Act, the concerns about what happens when it's in India or elsewhere in the hands of the private sector simply didn't arise.
As you likely know, in the context of British Columbia, we were talking about arguably the most sensitive information, or certainly one of them, when we talk about health information. There was very real concern that by outsourcing--in this instance, there was a choice between one of two U.S.-based organizations--that suddenly access to that information could fall into the hands of U.S. law enforcement or others. Previously, that simply wouldn't have been the case.
That presents an enormous challenge. On the one hand, there are efficiencies from outsourcing and value to the taxpayer to outsource in certain circumstances. At the same time, there are real concerns about some of the costs, not costs in terms of what you pay for it, but the broader costs in terms of privacy and other issues that arise in that context.
The B.C. government, and now some other provincial governments, tried to strike a balance of whether to establish a statute in that regard, or at least create a greater level of accountability so you can achieve some level of protection through contract. That's another potential avenue.
It's an issue that I think really needs to be at the forefront when you think about some of these outsourcing opportunities. On paper they look fabulous, until you realize there are some costs once you scratch below the surface.