Alberta bureaucrat calls in the federal commissioner to investigate privacy breach

In another interesting turn of events, an Alberta public servant has requested that the Federal Privacy Commissioner investigate the breach of privacy connected to the discovery of hundreds of files of bureaucrats' personal information in Alberta. This is in addition to an investigation conducted by the Alberta Commissioner, the report for which was released this week (see PIPEDA and Canadian Privacy Law: Alberta Commissioner releases report on incident involving sensitive info of senior public servants).

Feds called in:

"A top Alberta bureaucrat burned in the recent leak of private credit data from the provincial government's staff-screening process has sicced Ottawa's privacy watchdog on the case. The bureaucrat, who has asked not to be named, said he's filed a request for an investigation by the federal Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

The commission office couldn't confirm the request yesterday. 'We get about 19,000 requests a year, [!]' said a spokesman.

Although provincial Information and Privacy Commissioner Frank Work released his own report on the Trans Union affair this week, the federal office may also have jurisdiction - since the screening process involved the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

The screening process was launched by the Klein government last year to guard against fraud or security breaches by top bureaucrats. It included criminal background and credit checks, along with a CSIS 'vulnerability risk screening.' ...."

For background, see:

• PIPEDA and Canadian Privacy Law: Incident: Massive leak of personal information in Edmonton, Alberta
  
• PIPEDA and Canadian Privacy Law: Commissioner to investigate Alberta personal information leak
  
• PIPEDA and Canadian Privacy Law: Privacy watchdog probes firms