Federal (Canada) privacy & access decisions

An inmate at a maximum-security penitentiary requested video recordings of incidents involving officers. The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) denied access, citing third-party information and security concerns. The OPC found complaints regarding 16 destroyed videos to be well-founded, as CSC had not even reviewed them before denial. For two other videos, which CSC claimed contained third-party information and posed security risks, the OPC found CSC correctly applied exemptions, thus resolving those complaints.

• Timeliness of responding to access to information requests
• Destruction of records prior to fulfilling requests
• Application of exemptions for security of penal institutions
• Proper review of records before withholding information

A complainant alleged that a Canadian Forces (CF) employee, with whom he had a prior personal relationship, inappropriately accessed his personal health information. The investigation found that the employee accessed the complainant’s health information in the Canadian Forces Health Information System (CFHIS) multiple times after receiving an anonymous message about the complainant's health. The employee admitted to accessing and using the information for personal reasons, which was inconsistent with the purpose for its collection. The complaint was found to be well-founded. As a result, National Defence acknowledged the importance of privacy awareness and training, implemented new controls in CFHIS, updated its health service policy, and provided training to CF healthcare staff.

• Whether a National Defence employee inappropriately accessed personal health information for personal reasons
• Whether the access was inconsistent with the purpose for which the information was collected

First Nations activist Cindy Blackstock complained that Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) and the Department of Justice Canada (DOJ) contravened the Privacy Act by collecting her personal information from her Facebook page. The departments argued that information posted publicly on Facebook was not personal. The OPC rejected this argument, finding that publicly available information can still be personal under the Privacy Act. The OPC found that the collection of personal information from Ms. Blackstock's personal Facebook page was not directly related to a government operating program or activity. Both departments accepted the OPC's recommendations to cease such collection, destroy previously collected personal information, and develop policies for social media monitoring.

• Whether information posted on a personal Facebook page constitutes "personal information" under the Privacy Act
• Whether the public availability of personal information on the Internet renders it non-personal
• Whether the collection of personal information from Ms. Blackstock's personal Facebook page was directly related to a government operating program or activity
• Whether the monitoring of Ms. Blackstock's public speeches constituted collection of "personal information" under the Privacy Act
• Whether repeated accessing of Ms. Blackstock's Indian status records was a contravention of the Privacy Act

A man applied for a Transportation Security Clearance in July 2010, which was denied by Transport Canada (TC) in September 2011 based on information from the RCMP. The man complained that the RCMP improperly disclosed his personal information to TC. The RCMP had obtained information about an incident involving the complainant in 2009, which resulted in an absolute discharge a few months later. The RCMP provided this information to TC in 2011. The OPC found that the disclosure contravened the Criminal Records Act because more than a year had passed since the absolute discharge and no ministerial approval was obtained. The disclosure was also not authorized under the Privacy Act. The complaint was found to be well-founded.

• Whether the RCMP's disclosure of personal information to Transport Canada contravened the Criminal Records Act
• Whether the RCMP's disclosure of personal information to Transport Canada was authorized under the Privacy Act

A sergeant complained that his estranged wife, a civilian employee at a Canadian Forces Base, had unauthorized access to his military health records. The sergeant provided an audit log showing his wife accessed his Canadian Forces Health Information Services (CFHIS) account and deleted a physiotherapy appointment. National Defence (DND) confirmed the unauthorized access and noted she also accessed a paper physiotherapy file. DND determined she willfully breached departmental rules and implemented system restrictions to bar her access. The OPC found the access and use of medical information inconsistent with its original purpose and not a permissible use under the Privacy Act, upholding the complaint as well-founded. DND has since implemented new CFHIS controls and is evaluating its systems and practices for health information.

• Whether the estranged wife's access to the sergeant's medical records was authorized
• Whether the access and use of medical information was consistent with the purpose for which it was originally intended
• Whether the access and use met permissible uses defined in the Privacy Act

A woman complained that two RCMP employee landlords performed a criminal background check on her using the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database when she applied to rent a basement apartment. The landlords requested personal identification to "look into" prospective tenants. An internal RCMP investigation confirmed that one officer accessed CPIC for personal reasons, citing the applicant being from "out of town" and concerns for officer safety and organizational security. The OPC found that the CPIC database contains personal information and its use is restricted to legitimate law enforcement purposes. The investigation concluded that the officer's access was for personal reasons, not authorized operational purposes. The complaint was found to be well-founded, and the RCMP took remedial actions including an apology to the complainant and a communiqué to employees regarding CPIC use policies.

• Whether the CPIC database contains personal information under the Privacy Act
• Whether the RCMP officer accessed the CPIC database for personal reasons
• Whether the access to the CPIC database was for an authorized operational purpose

A complainant alleged that the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) contravened the Privacy Act when an employee accessed his tax file without authorization in 2005 and 2006. The complainant became suspicious after community members showed knowledge of his financial information. An audit trail report revealed that a CRA employee had accessed his T1 tax account twice, viewing sensitive personal information including his Social Insurance Number, income, and family details. The OPC's investigation confirmed that the employee accessed the account without authorization and beyond the scope of their duties. The complaint was found to be well-founded, and CRA confirmed the employee no longer has access to taxpayer information.

• Whether a CRA employee accessed the complainant's tax file without authorization
• Whether the unauthorized access contravened the use and disclosure provisions of the Privacy Act