Canada promises big fines for companies that breach new privacy law
OTTAWA, Nov 17 (Reuters) – Companies that fail to protect the personal information of Canadians could be fined up to 5% of global revenue under the terms of a proposed new privacy law, Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains said on Tuesday.
Bains said the Digital Charter Implementation Act – designed to update regulations that are 20 years old – was needed at a time when the coronavirus epidemic was increasing Canadians’ reliance on digital technology.
The draft law, which must be adopted by Parliament, says Canadians who feel their data has been improperly gathered or shared can turn to the country’s Privacy Commissioner and demand the information be deleted.
The commissioner can order a halt to the collection and use of an individual’s information. Companies that do not comply could be fined up to 5% of their global revenue for serious contraventions.
“We’re talking about potentially billions of dollars,” Bains told