Erroneous quarantine notifications from ArriveCAN
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) investigated a complaint regarding erroneous quarantine notifications sent by the ArriveCAN application to approximately 10,200 Apple device users. These notifications, issued between June 28 and July 20, 2022, incorrectly instructed fully vaccinated travellers to quarantine due to a defect in ArriveCAN version 3.0. The OPC found that the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) failed to take all reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy of personal information used for an administrative purpose, as required by subsection 6(2) of the Privacy Act. Specifically, the OPC identified shortcomings in rigorous pre-release testing, effective human intervention, and timely correction and recourse for affected individuals. The CBSA disagreed with the finding and refused to implement the OPC's recommendation to correct the inaccurate "quarantine_exempted" value in its database. Consequently, the complaint was found to be well-founded and unresolved.
- 1Whether the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) took all reasonable steps to ensure that personal information used for an administrative decision was as accurate as possible under subsection 6(2) of the Privacy Act.
- 2Whether the "quarantine_exempted" data field constituted personal information used for an administrative purpose by the CBSA.
- 3Whether the CBSA conducted rigorous pre-release testing for issues that could lead to the highest negative impacts on individual users.
- 4Whether the CBSA ensured effective human intervention with respect to high-impact decisions on individuals.
- 5Whether the CBSA provided effective and timely correction and recourse for individuals affected by inaccurate information.
- Accuracy of personal information: CBSA failed to ensure accuracy
- Pre-release testing: Shortcomings identified
- Human intervention: Shortcomings identified
- Correction and recourse: Shortcomings identified
- Complaint outcome: Well-founded and unresolved
Complaint well-founded and unresolved
The OPC found that the CBSA failed to take all reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy of personal information used for an administrative purpose, specifically regarding pre-release testing, human intervention, and timely correction, thereby contravening subsection 6(2) of the Privacy Act. The CBSA refused to implement the OPC's recommendation to correct the inaccurate data.
The OPC recommended that the CBSA update the inaccurate "quarantine_exempted" value generated by the error for all affected individuals within six months of the report's issuance.
- s.6(2) Privacy Act
This summary is informational only and not legal advice.
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