Supporting public health, building public trust: 
Privacy principles for contact tracing and similar apps

 Joint Statement by Federal, Provincial and Territorial Privacy Commissioners[1]

May 7, 2020

The safety and security of Canadians is of grave concern in the current COVID-19 health crisis. The urgency of limiting the spread of the virus is a significant challenge for government and  public  health  authorities,  who  are  looking  for  ways  to  leverage  personal  information[i] to contain and gain insights about the novel virus and the global threat it presents.

Data Privacy Day or Data Protection Day is recognized on January 28 by provinces and territories across Canada and countries around the world. It is an internationally recognized day dedicated to creating awareness about the importance of privacy and protecting personal information. The celebration of Data Privacy Day also underlines the importance of protecting personal information.

What is Facial Recognition?
Facial recognition is the process by which a person can be identified or otherwise recognized from a digital image. Facial recognition is one form of biometric identification; others include fingerprints, voice recognition and retinal scans.

Facial recognition is based on unique, measureable characteristics that can be used to verify or recognize identity. When using facial recognition software, the computer takes a picture of an individual and creates a unique numeric representation for the face. This is then compared to a database of facial images, such as a driver’s licence database, in an attempt to identify the individual.

NOTICE: 2019 amendments to New Brunswick legislation transferred the responsibility for the access and privacy mandates from the Office of the Integrity Commissioner to the Office of the Ombud for New Brunswick.

  FAILURE TO PROTECT (PDF - 683 KB)

NB

Feb. 7, 2019

FREDERICTON (GNB) – Ombud Charles Murray today released findings of his office’s probe into complaints of mistreatment of patients at the Restigouche Hospital Centre in Campbellton, caused in part by chronic understaffing.

The investigation was initiated in 2017 when Murray received an anonymous letter alleging incidents of violence against patients, negligence, and the use of restraints and force by front line staff at the facility. In one case, referred to in the report, the lack of regular assessments and detailed care plans for patients is cited as a possible contributing factor in the premature death of a patient.