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The author of this blog, David T.S. Fraser, is a Canadian privacy lawyer who practices with the firm of McInnes Cooper. He is the author of the Physicians' Privacy Manual. He has a national and international practice advising corporations and individuals on matters related to Canadian privacy laws.

For full contact information and a brief bio, please see David's profile.

Please note that I am only able to provide legal advice to clients. I am not able to provide free legal advice. Any unsolicited information sent to David Fraser cannot be considered to be solicitor-client privileged.

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The views expressed herein are solely the author's and should not be attributed to his employer or clients. Any postings on legal issues are provided as a public service, and do not constitute solicitation or provision of legal advice. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained herein or linked to. Nothing herein should be used as a substitute for the advice of competent counsel.

This web site is presented for informational purposes only. These materials do not constitute legal advice and do not create a solicitor-client relationship between you and David T.S. Fraser. If you are seeking specific advice related to Canadian privacy law or PIPEDA, contact the author, David T.S. Fraser.

Thursday, May 06, 2004

Article: Computer glitch gives out free gasoline

Over the last few months, I've written a couple of blog entries[1] about swiping drivers' licenses and the information that discloses. Today's Boston Globe has a funny spin on some consequences for people who voluntarily swiped their licenses instead of credit cards:

Boston.com / News / Odds & ends / Computer glitch gives out free gasoline:

"Computer glitch gives out free gasoline
May 5, 2004

PITTSFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- You can pump, but you can't hide. Some motorists in Michigan have found out the hard way that you can't just gas and go.

They discovered that because of a computer glitch they could swipe their drivers' licenses instead of credit cards to gas up for free at the pumps outside the Meijer chain.

A total of 107 people figured it out, many of them students from nearby colleges in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor.

In some cases people got as many as 15 fillups over a three-week period. Meijer got hosed for thousands.

But it turns out the information from each transaction with a drivers' license was stored on computer and police are tracking down the culprits."

See "Data toolkit and license decoder", "Decode your barcode, get your personal info", "Great taste, less privacy", and "Bar scheme could breach privacy rules".

Labels: information breaches