Teresa Scassa - Blog

A recent decision of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice has expanded the scope of the tort of invasion of privacy in Ontario. This is an important development, given that the tort was only recognized for the first time by the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2012. The rapid expansion of private recourses for invasion of privacy is not surprising. Technology has amplified privacy risks, and highly publicized incidents of data breaches, snooping, shaming, and…

Recent debates about enhanced police and national security surveillance powers in Canada have drawn attention to the vulnerability of Canadians’ privacy rights in the absence of proper safeguards and oversight. This problem is particularly acute in our big data economy, where participation in the economy – simply by being consumers of products and services – leaves a detailed trail of data in the hands of private sector actors. The Criminal Code provides for extensive access…