About Privacylawyer - Canadian privacy and technology law with David Fraser
Award-winning info about Canadian privacy and tech law from Canadian privacy lawyer David Fraser. Seriously, I won a Canadian Law Blog Award (Clawbie!) in 2023 for the YouTube version of this channel.
Would a Flock-type surveillance network fly under Canadian privacy laws?
Recently, the media is full of reporting about Flock Safety and their camera network. Could a system like this legally operate in Canada?In this episode, I explain how Canada's privacy would operate in the face of this model of crowdsourcing surveillance data from police departments, businesses, and private property owners.I look at the rules governing consent, reasonable purposes, retention of information about innocent motorists, and sharing information between police agencies. I also look at what Canadian privacy regulators have said about ALPR and sharing this sort of information about non-suspects. The bottom line? Just because your licence plate is visible in public doesn't mean your movements are fair game for mass surveillance.Contents:1:01 Flock Safety's business model and ALPR4:44 "Public information" is still "personal information"6:43 How the law has treated licence plate information8:41 Private businesses cannot crowdsource surveillance11:44 A "reasonable purpose" is required, even with consent14:22 What the British Columbia Privacy Commissioner has said about ALPR and information sharing18:45 What about the rest of Canada?21:28 A multi-user, multi-agency networked system is THE PROBLEM24:49 It doesn't matter whether there is one or more databases26:29 What does this mean for the use of ALPR in Canada?Additional links:BC Information and Privacy Commissioner — Investigation Report F12-04 (2012), Use of Automated Licence Plate Recognition Technology by the Victoria Police Department: https://www.oipc.bc.ca/documents/investigation-reports/1410Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner — Guidance on the Use of Automated Licence Plate Recognition Systems by Police Services (updated December 2024): https://www.ipc.on.ca/en/resources-and-decisions/guidance-use-automated-licence-plate-recognition-systems-police-servicesPast episode on photography in public places: https://youtu.be/KQJuWrunUVs?si=m0nNZmON9cVa7ae5#PrivacyLaw #FlockSafety #ALPR #CanadianLaw Where you can find me► Privacylawyer blog: https://blog.privacylawyer.ca► My law firm: https://www.mcinnescooper.com/people/...► Twitter: https://twitter.com/privacylawyer► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidtsfr...Disclaimer: This is intended for education and information only and should not be taken as legal advice. If you need advice for your particular situation, you should seek out qualified counsel. All views expressed are solely those of the creator and should not be attributed to his firm or any of its clients.
28 Sept 2026
Smart glasses and Canadian privacy laws
Smart glasses can take photos, record video and capture audio while looking almost like ordinary eyewear. What does Canadian law say about using them in public?In this episode, I look at how existing rules on photography, video recording, recording conversations, voyeurism, privacy claims, private property and freedom of expression apply to devices like Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses.The technology may be new, but most of the legal principles are not. The bigger challenge may be how smart glasses are changing our social expectations about when we are — and are not — being recorded.Where you can find me► Privacylawyer blog: https://blog.privacylawyer.ca► My law firm: https://www.mcinnescooper.com/people/david-fraser► Twitter: https://twitter.com/privacylawyer► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidtsfraserDisclaimer: This is intended for education and information only and should not be taken as legal advice. If you need advice for your particular situation, you should seek out qualified counsel. All views expressed are solely those of the creator and should not be attributed to his firm or any of its clients.
20 Sept 2026
Learning from online scams so you can recognize them and protect yourself
Online scams are getting smarter, more convincing, and harder to spot.I break down some of the most common scams I see in practice — including fake tech-support calls, business email compromise, grandparent scams, fraudulent payment requests, ransomware, crypto scams, and AI-assisted impersonation.I explain the warning signs that show up again and again: urgency, secrecy, unexpected payment requests, spoofed identities, and pressure to act before you have time to think.I also share practical steps you can take to protect yourself, your family, and your organization — from multi-factor authentication and stronger password practices to independently verifying suspicious requests through a trusted channel. Scammers keep changing their tactics. Learning to recognize the patterns is one of the best ways to stay ahead of them.Where you can find me► Privacylawyer blog: https://blog.privacylawyer.ca► My law firm: https://www.mcinnescooper.com/people/david-fraser► Twitter: https://twitter.com/privacylawyer► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidtsfraserDisclaimer: This is intended for education and information only and should not be taken as legal advice. If you need advice for your particular situation, you should seek out qualified counsel. All views expressed are solely those of the creator and should not be attributed to his firm or any of its clients.
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