Our office is pleased to announce that we will be participating in the Global Privacy Enforcement Network’s (GPEN) annual “Privacy Sweep” (Sweep) initiative, where privacy enforcement authorities work together to protect the privacy rights of individuals around the world.
This year’s theme is the Internet of Things and Accountability, with a focus on health-related devices. As the oversight agency for Ontario’s health privacy legislation, we will be taking part by surveying a number of medical devices available for sale and use in our province. As part of the sweep, the IPC will consult with nearly two dozen device manufacturers on how their devices operate, what information is collected, how it is used and disclosed when in use, how it may be protected, and what options are available to users to exercise control over their personal health information.
The Sweep initiative will help us to better understand the information flows of devices that are intended for remote use by individuals. Survey results will be used to generate a GPEN Sweep report on privacy practices of “Internet of Things” devices and services, and will be made public this fall.
GPEN promotes cross-border collaboration among privacy enforcement authorities that oversee privacy laws.
To learn more about GPEN, please visit: https://www.privacyenforcement.net/.
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