(Ottawa) The Privacy Commissioner says Canada Post is breaking the law by gleaning information from envelopes and packages in order to create mailing lists that it rents to businesses.
Philippe Dufresne’s office says the information collected for this “marketing list” program includes data on where individuals live and the type of online purchases they make, based on who the packages are sent to.
However, the commissioner found that Canada Post had not obtained authorization from Canadians to indirectly collect such personal information.
In a report on his office’s investigation at Canada Post, Mr. Dufresne states that this practice constitutes a violation of section 5 of the Personal Information Protection Act.
The Commissioner recommended that Canada Post stop using and disclosing personal information in this manner until the Crown corporation can seek and obtain consent from Canadians.
But Mr. Dufresne says Canada Post refused to take this corrective action and urges it to reconsider its decision.