Make federal data protection and breach reporting the law, MPs say
OTTAWA — Federal agencies should be required by law to properly protect the private information of Canadians and to report breaches when sensitive data goes astray, says a group of MPs.
The Commons committee on ethics, information and privacy’s recommendations for updating the 33-year-old Privacy Act — which covers the collection, use and disclosure of information by federal departments — come as data losses and thefts in the new digital universe make many people nervous about sharing personal details.
This week Yahoo revealed it only just discovered a breach affecting more than one billion user accounts that took place more than three years ago.
Hundreds of notable lapses involving personal information occur in federal agencies every year.