Great.
Absolutely, I think privacy is an important consideration. I know that in order to verify signatures, it's likely you're going to be collecting more than only a name. You're going to be collecting an address, and an email probably, to verify who they are. You're right. There should be some guarantee that the information will be kept securely.
That said, many petition sites do let people have their names listed, if they so choose, and maybe the community they're from, or in this case the riding. I think this is where in my remarks I suggested that there also be consideration as to how you can balance privacy while making sure that there's a feedback loop to parliamentarians—not to political parties but to parliamentarians—that allows them to know what their constituents are thinking about in terms of their petition activities
I think that can be a real strength of an electronic system, and I'm optimistic that, given online expertise that I'm sure you have access to, you can balance the security functions of that with the provision that helps people feel there's a conversation happening with the petition process, that it's not simply citizens putting their names online and then never hearing anything back. Here's a chance, especially if they opt in, to hear back from government if there's a response, or to know that their MP has been notified that this is an issue of importance.