On January 21, 2008, leaders among Canada’s Privacy Community sent a second open letter to the Minister of Canadian Heritage Josée Vernier and Industry Minister Jim Prentice. This letter is an extension of the Community’s May 2006 open letter and Background Paper. In the letter, we express that privacy, freedom of expression, civil liberties, and security implications of proposed changes to Canadian copyright law need to be more fully explored to achieve balanced copyright law. We encourage the Canadian government to consult with experts on these issues.
- Open Letter from Canada’s Privacy Community to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister of Industry, 21 January 2008
On May 17, 2006, leaders among Canada’s Privacy Community sent an open letter and Background Paper to Minister of Canadian Heritage Bev Oda and Industry Minister Maxime Bernier voicing our concerns with the use and proposed legal protection of “digital rights management” (DRM) technology in Canada. In our letter, we offer to work with policy makers and politicians on this issue, and seek assurances that:
- any proposed copyright reforms will prioritize privacy protection by including a full privacy consultation and a full privacy impact assessment with the introduction of any copyright reform bill;
- any proposed anti-circumvention provisions will create no negative privacy impact; and
- any proposed copyright reforms will include pro-active privacy protections that, for example, enshrine the rights of Canadians to access and enjoy copyright works anonymously and in private.