Episode 93: Lex Gill on the RCMP, Clearview AI and Canada's History of Surveillance

October 19, 2021 00:35:32
Episode 93: Lex Gill on the RCMP, Clearview AI and Canada's History of Surveillance
Law Bytes
Episode 93: Lex Gill on the RCMP, Clearview AI and Canada's History of Surveillance

Oct 19 2021 | 00:35:32

/

Show Notes

Earlier this month, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada released a scathing report on the RCMP’s use of facial recognition technology, particularly its work with Clearview AI. The report was particularly damaging as the Commissioner found that the RCMP wasn’t truthful when it said it didn’t work with Clearview AI and then gave inaccurate information on the number of uses when it was revealed that it did. In fact, even after these findings, the RCMP still rejected the Privacy Commissioner’s findings that it violated the Privacy Act.

Lex Gill is a Montreal-based lawyer where she is an affiliate at the Citizen Lab and teaches at McGill University’s Faculty of Law. She has also worked at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic. Lex joins the podcast to discuss the Commissioner’s findings and to explain why this is best viewed as part of a long cycle of surveillance that has often targeted social movements or vulnerable populations.

The podcast can be downloaded here, accessed on YouTube, 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:

OPC, Special report to Parliament on the OPC’s investigation into the RCMP’s use of Clearview AI and draft joint guidance for law enforcement agencies considering the use of facial recognition technology

Credits:

CityNews, RCMP Violated Privacy Act by Using Facial Recognition: Privacy Commissioner

Other Episodes

Episode

October 03, 2022 00:21:40
Episode Cover

Episode 141: Why the Online News Act is a Bad Solution to a Real Problem

The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage launched its hearings on the Online News Act (Bill C-18) with a pair of hearings late last month....

Listen

Episode

April 29, 2024 00:41:26
Episode Cover

Episode 201: Robert Diab on the Billion Dollar Lawsuits Launched By Ontario School Boards Against Social Media Giants

Concerns about the impact of social media on youth have been brewing for a long time, but in recent months a new battleground has...

Listen

Episode 0

April 07, 2025 00:30:44
Episode Cover

Episode 231: Sara Bannerman on How Canadian Political Parties Maximize Voter Data Collection and Minimize Privacy Safeguards

As the 2025 federal election passes the midway point, it is increasingly apparent that the federal political parties are not only battling for votes,...

Listen