A federal bill that would force companies to notify individuals of breaches moved a step closer to being law in October. Bill S-4, the Digital Privacy Act, was sent to the Industry Committee for review on October 20.
The Committee review would be the last time for significant modifications to the bill before it goes to its second House of Commons reading.
The Digital Privacy Act would force companies to notify affected individuals of a data breach. However, commentators have criticized it for its provisions about involuntary data disclosure.
Provincial privacy law is also being put to the test. Canada's Supreme Court extended the deadline to amend the provincial Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), which also mandates individual breach notification.
The law, found invalid a year ago, must be amended to be in line with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The original deadline passes in mid-November, but the Court gave the provincial government a six-month extension.
