Privacy commissioner insists on sufficient reason for using facial recognition
Québec could end up becoming the Illinois of Canada – at least in terms of how seriously it legislates data privacy. A feature from Osler law firm explores how the provincial privacy commissioner has dialed up its enforcement activities, and how the “rigorous approach” the Commission d’accès à l’information (CAI) takes to biometric data collection under the Québec Privacy Act could sway similar legislation across the country.
Osler cites a case from September 2024, wherein the CAI initiated an investigation into the biometric practices of a printing company, and subsequently issued a decision ordering the company to stop using facial recognition technology for employee access control, on the grounds that biometric data collection was not necessary or proportionate under the circumstances.