The Competition Bureau announced earlier this week its participation in Fraud Prevention Month, which this year focuses on the growing problem of online fraud. Fraud Prevention Month is an annual education and awareness campaign held in Canada and around the world. The Competition Bureau’s website provides some great education and prevention information including a new interactive quiz designed to test consumers’ and businesses’ fraud awareness. I’d encourage you to take the quiz!
Fraud Prevention Month to focus on online fraud
March 4, 2011
1 Comment | 
Competition Law, Data Protection, Identity Theft, Online Shopping, Phishing, Privacy, Security, Theft | Tagged: Customers, Identity Theft, Phishing, Privacy, Safeguarding | 
Permalink
Posted by Brian Bowman
Privacy breach notification: to notify or not to notify?
August 23, 2010
The CBC National News is reporting in this video news clip that the children’s retail store Please Mum has alerted its online customers about a privacy breach to its online customer database that occurred in early June. Despite the fact that the long-awaited amendments to PIPEDA (which will require organizations to notify affected customers when certain privacy breaches occur) have not yet become law, Please Mum has taken the initiative to alert its customers.
In the absence of specific legal requirements, the decision to notify customers when privacy breaches occur is not an easy task. Far from it. Factors that businesses should consider include assessing what personal information was compromised, the cause and extent of the privacy breach, the number of affected individuals and the anticipated harm that could result from the privacy breach.
Leave a Comment » | Online Shopping, Privacy, Safeguarding, Safekeeping, Security Breach | Tagged: Privacy, Privacy Breach, Security | Permalink
Posted by Brian Bowman
The NDP’s decade of dithering on e-commerce
July 9, 2010
Have you ever wondered if an electronic document like an e-mail or a scanned image can be used instead of a paper document to meet a legal requirement? How about using an electronic signature as opposed to a written signature?
Unfortunately, the provincial government’s dithering over the past decade will not help you answer these important questions.
Manitoba’s e-commerce legislation, called The Electronic Commerce and Information Act, was passed in the Manitoba Legislature in 2000. It was then billed as a cutting edge law that would help Manitobans to prosper in the online world.
Leave a Comment » | Government, Internet, Online Shopping, Sale Transactions, Technology | Tagged: E-mail, Government, Internet, Technology | Permalink
Posted by Brian Bowman
Government introduces anti-spam legislation
April 24, 2009
The Government of Canada announced today the introduction of anti-spam legislation called the Electronic Commerce Protection Act (“ECPA”) that “aims to boost confidence in online commerce by protecting the privacy and personal security concerns that are associated with spam, counterfeit websites and spyware.”
According to the government’s News Release, the ECPA would allow businesses and individuals to initiate civil actions against anyone who violates the law. The ECPA deals with unsolicited text messages, or “cellphone spam”, as a form of “unsolicited commercial electronic message”.
It would establish a regulatory enforcement regime that would enable the CRTC to impose penalties of up to $1 million for individuals and $10 million in all other cases. The Competition Bureau would use a penalty regime already provided for in the Competition Act, and the federal Privacy Commissioner‘s powers to cooperate and exchange information with her counterparts would be expanded in respect of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.
The ECPA is nearly 70 pages long. Stay tuned to this blog. As soon as I’ve been able to digest the content I’ll post again on how the ECPA is likely going to affect Canadian businesses, especially those enaged in online marketing.
2 Comments | Government, Identity Theft, Internet, Marketing, Online Shopping, PIPEDA, Privacy, Spam | Tagged: Businesses, Customers, Identity Theft, Information Technology, Internet, Marketing, PIPEDA, Privacy, Privacy Commissioner, Privacy Compliance, Spam | Permalink
Posted by Brian Bowman
Online shopping a risky transaction
February 12, 2009
Online shopping a risky transaction: Protect yourself from identity thieves
My November 5, 2008 column in the Winnipeg Free Press provides some tips on how to be a savvy online shopper and the benefits to online retailers of having sercure websites and comprehensive online privacy policies.
Leave a Comment » | Identity Theft, Internet, Online Reputation Management, Online Shopping, Safeguarding, Security | Tagged: Businesses, Identity Theft, Internet, Online Reputation Management, Online Shopping, Personal Information, Privacy Policy, Safeguarding, Security | Permalink
Posted by Brian Bowman
