Proposed Privacy Guidelines for BC Administrative Tribunals

The Information and Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia and that province's Ministry of the Attorney General have developed guidelines on how to protect privacy in administrative tribunal decisions posted to the Internet:

"Access issues engage a fundamental element of our democratic system – openness and transparency of court and administrative proceedings – that has been increasingly met by tribunals posting decisions and other documents on their websites. But privacy concerns have been identified about the potential for data-mining, identity theft, stalking, and other misuses by powerful search tools that can access and extract personal information from those decisions and documents. The Guide discusses how to address these difficult issues in the context of the applicable legislation1 and how to comply with that legislation when collecting information, providing access to records, and publishing reasons for decisions."

The public is invited to comment on the proposal. The deadline is November 30 of this year.

[Source: Courthouse Libraries BC]