Information & Ethics committee  We can answer in writing, but I think that Mr. [Technical difficulty—Editor]. He would also be well placed. Otherwise, we would be happy to answer in writing.

Information & Ethics committee  What we have seen in the pandemic in particular is that governments, not only the Government of Canada but governments writ large, call on the private sector to develop digital programs in order to deliver services. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but what we see is that ther

Information & Ethics committee  If we're dealing with personal information collected by the federal government, the Privacy Act does offer some protections. It's a badly outdated law, about 40 years old, but it would be an exaggeration to say that there are no protections.

Information & Ethics committee  Is your question about COVID Alert?

Information & Ethics committee  We were heavily consulted on COVID Alert, and I was able to say that the privacy protections for that particular application were actually quite high.

Information & Ethics committee  I'll distinguish two things. I heard you say—or perhaps I misunderstood—that there's a question of knowledge or awareness by Canadians, and a question of protection. As to whether the data of Canadians was adequately protected, that is the subject of our investigation, so I'm not

Information & Ethics committee  Is it for the social good, or for legitimate commercial interests, on one hand? On the other hand, does it violate privacy as a human right? Does it constitute surveillance? You balance these things out, and you determine whether the use of data is adequate in that fashion.

Information & Ethics committee  Good morning, Mr. Chair. Thank you for inviting me here today and for undertaking this important work on facial recognition. Like all technologies, FRT can, if used responsibly, offer significant benefits to society. However, it can also be extremely intrusive, enable widesprea

Information & Ethics committee  Sure. When we issued our investigative report on the RCMP's use of Clearview last June in a special report to Parliament, we started at the same time a consultation with stakeholders who were interested in speaking to draft guidance that we had published at the same time. That l

Information & Ethics committee  I would start first with where there was agreement beyond the need for the law to be changed. Many people felt that the guidance was drafted or crafted at a level of generality such that the advice is helpful, but they would like it at the very least to be supplemented by advice

Information & Ethics committee  Sure.

Information & Ethics committee  I think the common factor that applies horizontally to all stakeholders who would like to use facial recognition is the principle of necessity and proportionality that my two colleagues mentioned. That applies to all stakeholders: police services, businesses and other departments

Information & Ethics committee  When surveillance is carried out by police services or private companies, they collect information about people's activities or characteristics in order to make certain decisions about them. The question is whether it's done with people's consent or in accordance with legislatio

Information & Ethics committee  Yes.

Information & Ethics committee  On a number of occasions, you were told about a moratorium, whether desirable or otherwise, that was going to be applied until an enhanced act was adopted. It's clear to me that a moratorium applicable to police services should be provided for in a law. However, I found it intere