PIPEDA Case Summary #2015-010: Customer’s emails sent to her acquaintance following a telecom employee’s attempt to fix a problem with the customer’s email service

An individual complained that her telecommunications provider disclosed her personal information without consent. A technical support representative, while attempting to fix her email service, inadvertently configured her email application to automatically forward her emails, including one containing a temporary password, to an acquaintance. The OPC found that this constituted a disclosure of personal information without consent, contravening Principle 4.3. The telecom provider initially provided inaccurate information to the OPC regarding corrective measures taken, but later clarified its existing measures. The complaint was found to be well-founded and resolved, as the provider had some measures in place to prevent recurrence, despite the initial misrepresentations.