Security Breach Notices for Canadian Data
There’s some Canadian data on that lost laptop or hacked server. Do you have to notify individuals or authorities in Canada, as you are often required to do in the United States?
The US model of security breach notice laws has not been widely emulated abroad, although several jurisdictions are considering similar measures. Nevertheless, a duty to give notice of significant security breaches has been inferred in some cases from general principles found in comprehensive privacy and data protection laws in Europe, Canada, Japan, and elsewhere. Privacy commissioners in Canada have applied such general principles in publishing guidelines for companies suffering a data leak involving personal information. In addition, the province of Ontario expressly requires notice to individuals if their personal health information is compromised.
More recently, Special Commissions at the federal level and in the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia have recommended amending privacy legislation to mandate notification of material security breaches. Alberta is the first to act on this recommendation. Bill 54, amending Alberta’s Personal Information Privacy Act, will soon require organizations to notify potentially harmful security breaches to the Alberta Privacy Commissioner – who may then dictate the terms of notice to affected individuals.
Data Integrity and Evidence in the Cloud
How does cloud computing affect the risks of lost, incomplete, or altered data? Often, the discussion of this question focuses on the security risks in transmitting data over public networks and storing it in dispersed facilities, sometimes in the control of diverse entities. Less often recognized is the fact that cloud computing, if not properly implemented, may jeopardize data integrity simply in the way that transactions are entered and recorded. Questionable data integrity has legal as well as operational consequences, and it should be taken into account in due diligence, contracting, and reference to standards in cloud computing solutions.
Continue Reading...Information Security Clauses and Certifications - Part 1
Outsourcing business and IT functions often means outsourcing compliance and liability risks as well. When a service contract involves protected categories of personal information, both parties need to understand the security requirements and risks. The contract should allocate responsibilities to prevent and respond to security breaches. The contract may also set expectations more precisely by incorporating a written security policy or referring to a widely accepted information security standard, sometimes accompanied by a requirement for a third-party security audit or assessment.
What contractual information security provisions should you consider, as a customer or as a vendor or business partner, when the contract contemplates the exchange of protected information? What do security standards and audits entail for a vendor, and what do they offer for a customer?
Continue Reading...Nevada's Security of Personal Information Law Post Five: Remedies, Penalties and Enforcement
The following FAQs address the remedies, penalties and enforcement of Nevada's Security of Personal Information Law. The rest of the FAQ is linked to here.
Continue Reading...
