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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.

Friday, January 06, 2006

Candidates for Governor try to top each other on privacy in Minnesota

I've typed the word Minnesota more times in the last week than the entire previous decade. I used to sometimes spell it Minnesoda, but I've gotten much more practice as of late.

Readers will have noted two recent posts on developments in Minnesota, particularly related to the sale of bulk drivers' license data. The AG of the state, Mike Hatch, has proposed to ban the practice. He's also a hopeful for the Governor's office. The incumbent has also been talking privacy and identity theft, paticularly focusing on making ID more secure so that the risk of impersonation is reduced. California is at the forefront of privacy protection in the United States, but I do not recall privacy being a large election issue. Passing those trail-blazing laws was just something that was done by the legislature after it was in power. The situation in Minnesota seems a bit different; the candidates are making privacy an issue and are actually talking about reforms they'd like to see. I wonder if this is based on a belief that consumers now care in large enough numbers to give privacy a real constituency. Is this also the beginning of a trend?

Check out: Governor is seeking privacy law changes. Thanks to Adam at Emergent Chaos: Privacy Competition in Politics for the link and his thoughts on the topic.

[Privacy] :: [Identity Theft] :: [Politics] :: [Minnesota]