Episode 63: Ontario Privacy Commissioner Patricia Kosseim on the COVID Alert App

October 28, 2021 00:40:09
Episode 63: Ontario Privacy Commissioner Patricia Kosseim on the COVID Alert App
Law Bytes
Episode 63: Ontario Privacy Commissioner Patricia Kosseim on the COVID Alert App

Oct 28 2021 | 00:40:09

/

Show Notes

The Canadian government released its COVID Alert, its COVID-19 exposure notification app, earlier this month starting first with a roll-out in Ontario. I’ve written how I’ve made the decision to install it, noting that the voluntary app does not collect personal information nor provide the government (or anyone else) with location information. The app underwent two privacy reviews, engaging both the federal privacy commissioner and the Ontario information and privacy commissioner.

Patricia Kosseim, the newly appointed Ontario privacy commissioner, had only been on the job for a few hours before she was dealing with the app that was bound to attract public attention. Commissioner Kosseim joins me on the podcast to discuss the app, her review, the interaction between different governments and commissioners, and why she installed the app the day it was released.

The podcast can be downloaded here and is embedded below. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Google Play, Spotify or the RSS feed. Updates on the podcast on Twitter at @Lawbytespod.

Show Notes:

IPC Recommendations to the Government of Ontario Regarding COVID Alert

Credits:

CBC News, COVID-19 Exposure Notification App Rolls Out in Ontario

Other Episodes

Episode 0

November 14, 2022 00:32:13
Episode Cover

Episode 146: Axel Bruns on What the Australian Experience Teaches About the Prospect of Facebook Blocking News Sharing in Response to Bill C-18

As Bill C-18 heads to clause-by-clause review later this week, the prospect that Facebook could block news sharing on its platform in Canada in...

Listen

Episode

January 26, 2026 00:29:57
Episode Cover

The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 255: Grappling with Grok - Heidi Tworek on the Limits of Canadian Law

The Law Bytes podcast is back, starting with an episode on the limits of Canadian law in addressing the concerns associated with Grok AI,...

Listen

Episode 0

July 25, 2022 00:32:59
Episode Cover

Episode 136: Jeremy de Beer on SOCAN v. ESA, the Supreme Court's Latest Endorsement of Copyright Balance and Technological Neutrality

The Supreme Court of Canada's latest copyright decision - SOCAN v. Entertainment Software Association - affirms yet again that technological neutrality is a foundational...

Listen