The Canadian Privacy Law Blog: Developments in privacy law and writings of a Canadian privacy lawyer, containing information related to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (aka PIPEDA) and other Canadian and international laws.

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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.

Monday, May 16, 2005

Are security breaches on the rise or are we just hearing about them more often 

The San Francisco Chronicle is citing the "ChoicePoint Effect", which means that more companies are willing to fess up when something goes awry with personal information. The article suggests that we aren't more data incidents, we're just hearing about them more often.

I'm not entirely sure this is the case. I have a feeling that the number of incidents has increased and we are hearing about it more often. ID theft is being perpetrated more and more often in recent years and I think that more criminals are seeking out personal information than they did before. A mugger would take your wallet and use your cards until you reported them stolen. Now, using the same stuff that's in your wallet, they're opening accounts in your name and committing a different species of crime. When personal information can be acquired in bulk, whether from dumpster diving or impersonating legitimate businesses, the sheer number of threats faced has to have increased and the number of incidents along with it.

The Chronicle article is here: Security breaches not on rise / Privacy watchdogs say incidents are being disclosed more often.

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