Incident: Transportation company collects and discloses passengers' personal information
The OPC investigated a complaint concerning a transportation company's practice of collecting passengers' dates of birth and citizenship for the Toronto-to-New York route and disclosing this information to U.S. Customs. The company confirmed this practice, which began in 2000, was an agreement with U.S. border agencies to minimize delays. The OPC determined that sales agents misrepresented the collection of this information as mandatory.
- Collection of personal information without adequate notice or consent
- Disclosure of personal information to a third party (U.S. Customs)
- Misrepresentation of information collection as mandatory
Complaint resolved through company's adoption of new procedures and directives
The company agreed to issue a directive to its sales agents that the collection of date of birth and citizenship information would be voluntary and require customer consent, resolving the complaint.
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The company was advised to issue a directive to its sales agents stating that the provision of date of birth and citizenship is voluntary and to obtain informed consent before collecting such information.
This summary is informational only and not legal advice.