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.

Saturday, June 07, 2008

Ask the privacy lawyer

Despite the disclaimer on the side of this blog, I often get e-mails from people asking questions about privacy laws and how they affect their own particular circumstances. They are usually from people who are not in a position to pay for legal advice. Often, I get the same basic question (with slight variations) a number of times.

I'm very sympathetic to their circumstances but can't always take the time to provide a full answer. Since there is obviously a need out there, I thought I'd try something new: Ask The Privacy Lawyer. Readers can send me their questions and, assuming it is a question that lends itself to being answered in a public forum, I will post my thoughts on the topic on the blog.

Questions should be sent to ask@privacylawyer.ca or can be left as an anonymous comment to this post. Please try to keep your questions as general as possible and DO NOT NAME ANY PEOPLE, COMPANIES OR ORGANIZATIONS in your query. I will not identify the submitter or anyone else in the response and may edit your e-mail to to make it applicable to a wider audience. Any response will be written to be educational but should not be contrived to be legal advice.

If you are looking to retain a lawyer to assist you with your matter, please e-mail me directly at david.fraser@mcinnescooper.com.

Labels: AskThePrivacyLawyer, privacy

6/07/2008 02:35:00 PM :: (1 comments) :: Backlinks

Comments:

HI - In September 2007 I subscribed to a well known Canadian magazine. I did not check a box on the form saying I wanted to receive 'mail' from them. However in December 2007 I and my neighbour (whose subscription to the same magazine had just ended) started receiving unsolicited requests for magazine subscripts at a rate of about 1 a week. I knew where the subscription was coming from since they mispelled my name on all the subscriptions in the same way.

I've emailed the magazine and the company responsible for these bulk mailings and have been told they 'occasionally send mailings we think our customs will enjoy' although that's only if you check the box requesting that 'service'.

They tell me the mailings will stop soon - but they haven't and now the mailing have my correctly spelled name.

I know there is a lot of work being done with SPAM laws and no phone anti-telemarketer laws - but is there any way I can legally stop this magazine for falsely advertising that they would to share my name and information with anyone else?

They don't seem to be taking my angry emails very seriously.

thanks

# posted by

dawnbuie : June 18, 2008 5:13 PM

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