David Canton's PIPEDA predictions for 2006

David Canton, in his regular London Free Press Column, is making a few predictions for 2006. He leads off his column with predictions about privacy in Canada:

London Free Press - Business - Expect PIPEDA debates

The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) is slated for review in 2006. Expect to debate to rage on controversial issues such as whether individuals should be notified if their personal information is compromised.

Another issue is processing data outside Canada, common in a connected world. It raises issues regarding the ability of foreign governments to view our personal information -- without our knowledge, without judicial oversight, and despite contractual arrangements to the contrary.

A privacy issue that may come before the privacy commissioner is the printing of full credit or debit card numbers on receipts. This matter has not been the focus of a complaint to the privacy commissioner's office.

Many privacy commentators, myself included, believe that putting full credit or debit card numbers on either the customer's or the company's copy of a receipt is a violation of PIPEDA. The printing of those numbers serves no purpose and increases the risks of fraud.