Information & Ethics committee  In a private sector context, they're talking about a percentage. I think it's 10% of takeaway in a year for an organization, or $10 million or $15 million—I forget the specific details—but you have that range. For government departments, it could something different, although you have also Crown corporations.

Information & Ethics committee  How many times has it been used? I might need to get that detailed information for you. I think some of them have said just on a handful of occasions, and others I don't think have specified. I don't have these specific details. I can see if we can provide that subsequently.

Information & Ethics committee  Sure. Thank you. I would recommend that a PIA be required when new, powerful tools can have an impact on the privacy of Canadians. Perhaps moving away from the notion of a program itself, if there is a new tool that changes the context, then consider a privacy impact assessment.

Information & Ethics committee  I agree. I think the more powerful the technology is, the broader the scope, the more you have to be careful and the more privacy protections and considerations you need. That's what proportionality is. You have this more intrusive tool, so you need to have a more rigorous protection mechanism.

Information & Ethics committee  There is a range of tools. There are the private information banks of the government indicating what we have as information, why and what the purposes are. It's a type of proactive disclosure. Privacy impact assessments would be another way of proactively informing us of that use.

Information & Ethics committee  We don't know that until we are provided with that information.

Information & Ethics committee  We are well equipped to do so. We have a technology laboratory, but we have more work to do. It is an evolving situation and the organizations we regulate definitely have more resources than we do. We have to continue in this direction and we will focus on it.

Information & Ethics committee  We are seeing that it is being used more and more. We can see the potential impact of false information and of using someone's image to make it look like they are doing something. Generative AI poses tremendous risks to privacy and dignity, so the challenges are certainly greater.

Information & Ethics committee  I would say that could indeed be a violation since personal data is being used for purposes that are not acceptable or accepted. It has an impact on dignity and raises all sorts of risks and issues. So it is something that has to be looked at. People need to know what can be done with their personal data.

Information & Ethics committee  Certainly. Those statements are public and are posted on our website. I can have them sent to the committee, including those pertaining to employment and protecting children's privacy.

Information & Ethics committee  AI is a key element that affects the privacy of Canadians and people around the world. This summer, my G7 counterparts and I issued a resolution at our annual meeting reiterating the importance of protecting privacy. We reiterated the importance of implementing current legislation and the need to modernize that legislation and consider the effects of AI from the outset.

Information & Ethics committee  In the context of the RCMP, in this instance they're using those tools for their investigations generally. They're not investigating their employees. Three of the organizations are doing them for internal investigations.

Information & Ethics committee  Right.

Information & Ethics committee  That's right. It's not the same thing as spyware. It's done when you have the device, you're going on the device and you're retrieving information. Again, in certain instances it may be perfectly legitimate for the RCMP or for an employer to have that information. The issue is that we need to make sure that it's done with privacy protection in mind.

Information & Ethics committee  We do. We've obtained information. Some have used it for anti-spam legislation. Some have used it for cybercrime investigations or national security matters. Some have used it for income tax purposes or investigations. Some have used it for the Competition Act, environment, fisheries, conservation programs, transportation investigations—these types of things that fall under the authorities of the departments.