Category Archives: EDL
Update: EDLs in New Brunswick
( Source ) A few days ago I posted that Nova Scotia and New Brunswick both might be moving away from EDLs because of their costs and/or privacy issues. While the article discussed the issue was problematic (because of persistent factual errors), it appears as though the author was on target concerning New Brunswick’s concerns with the technology: EDLs will not be coming to my birthplace . … I’ll be curious to see if the rest of the Atlantic provinces follow New Brunswick’s lead, and how this might shape the national discourse on EDLs. Continue reading
Note: EDLs in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia?
(I lack anything that would substantiate or disprove the claim that New Brunswick’s interest has waned; I also don’t know what the report stated and so can’t know if it would influence the government’s position.) … In particular, the author fails to identify what data is contained within, or emitted from, the EDL (i.e. the proxy identifier), fails to accurately identify the privacy risks that advocates have noted, and implies that EDLs will speed up border crossing times (to date, it looks like it only shaves about .8 seconds off each border cross). My problem is that while the author makes it seem like EDLs are particularly risky from a privacy point of view (which they are), what he is actually talking about are ePassports (and similar smart cards). Continue reading
Update: More on Quebec EDLs
* Says he: “If there are five people, five kids and two parents, if they had to all pay for a passport it would be an expensive requirements for them to come here” ( Source ) Not withstanding Charest’s poor math (I count seven people in his ‘equation’), the costs that he is referencing are for the people coming to Quebec, not the costs of Quebecer’s traveling to the US. … We believe we need to do what has to be done to protect the privacy of individuals” ( Source ) In light of this, one has to ask: if the Quebec premier recognizes privacy as such a serious issue, then why isn’t the Quebec information commissioner’s privacy assessment available to the public? … March 24, 2009 from 9:00 to 12:00 Ottawa Library Auditorium, 120 Metcalfe Street The aim of this public forum is to increase the awareness of policy makers, Parliamentarians, the media, and the public regarding the concerns associated with the introduction of a new Enhanced Driver’s Licence in most Canadian provinces. Continue reading
Update: EDLs in Saskatchewan and Quebec
It seems as though the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is supporting this hesitancy, with the assistant privacy commissioner; . . . is applauding the province’s decision to back away from the enhanced licences until legislation addresses concerns about how personal information is used and how vulnerable it is to hackers. … ( Source ) It will be interesting to see whether or not Saskatchewan reintroduces EDL legislation after Ontario’s information and privacy commissioner manages to implement an ‘on/off’ switch that she has been talking about with Jesse Brown for the past few weeks . My suspicion is that they will, but that they will let Ontario do the heavy lifting in this area (I expect that Ontario’s influence with DHS will be more substantial than Saskatchewan, but maybe that isn’t/won’t be the case). Continue reading
