The province乌鸦传媒檚 new Information and Privacy Commissioner has been travelling across British Columbia, listening to residents as he develops a strategic plan to guide his office乌鸦传媒檚 future work.
Michael Harvey, appointed in May 2024, leads both the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) and the Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists.
One of seven stops, Kelowna hosted a public session on May 27, that brought together representatives from municipal government, healthcare and education sectors, community groups, and non-profit organizations. The discussion covered a wide range of issues乌鸦传媒攆rom public trust and digital surveillance to the question of who乌鸦传媒檚 responsible for protecting personal data.
乌鸦传媒淭his is part of our public engagement sessions to get people乌鸦传媒檚 feedback and perspectives,乌鸦传媒� Harvey said. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e developing ideas that we乌鸦传媒檒l release乌鸦传媒攈opefully in early fall乌鸦传媒攁s a strategic plan to guide the work of our offices.乌鸦传媒�
A Province-Wide Conversation
Harvey says he乌鸦传媒檚 hearing recurring concerns, including frustration with the Freedom of Information system, growing data collection, and questions about the influence of artificial intelligence.
Video surveillance is also drawing scrutiny乌鸦传媒攅specially at the municipal level. 乌鸦传媒淭here乌鸦传媒檚 a lot of attention on it there,乌鸦传媒� Harvey noted, though it's not exclusive to local governments.
Trust in a Digital World
One theme that has surfaced consistently across the province is trust, or the erosion of it.
乌鸦传媒淭here乌鸦传媒檚 a literature in political science that talks about the decline of trust going back for generations,乌鸦传媒� Harvey said. 乌鸦传媒淚t ties into the rise of television, cable news, and now the internet,乌鸦传媒� he said.
In Kelowna, participants raised concerns about who is collecting their data, how it乌鸦传媒檚 being used, and whether they can trust the information they乌鸦传媒檙e receiving. Harvey says these anxieties are shared across the communities he乌鸦传媒檚 visited.
Who乌鸦传媒檚 Watching Whom?
It乌鸦传媒檚 a recurring question Harvey noted. 乌鸦传媒淚s too much personal data being collected乌鸦传媒攁nd by whom?乌鸦传媒�
While he encourages individuals to understand and exercise their privacy rights, he says the burden shouldn乌鸦传媒檛 fall entirely on them.
乌鸦传媒淵es, we need higher rates of data literacy,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淲e should be teaching it in an age-appropriate way throughout our education system. But we also need to build stronger guardrails around how organizations and governments handle personal data.乌鸦传媒�
B.C.'s Strong Privacy Laws乌鸦传媒擶ith Room to Grow
Harvey says B.C. stands out in terms of privacy protection.
乌鸦传媒淏.C.乌鸦传媒檚 legislation sets a high bar乌鸦传媒攊n terms of both scope and strength,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淭hat乌鸦传媒檚 part of why I wanted this job.乌鸦传媒�
Still, he believes many British Columbians don乌鸦传媒檛 realize how well-protected they already are.
乌鸦传媒淭hat乌鸦传媒檚 part of the outreach goal that I set. I think if they understood the strength of protection that they have, maybe that would help the trust issue.乌鸦传媒�
Harvey also pointed out that B.C.乌鸦传媒檚 privacy protection laws are far from perfect.
乌鸦传媒淭hey need to change to keep up to changing demands,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淚'll keep pushing for improvements, but I think that the people of this province should be happy to know that the laws that they have are solid laws and that they're well protected.乌鸦传媒�
A Legacy of Advocacy
Harvey credits both political will and a long tradition of advocacy for the strength of B.C.乌鸦传媒檚 privacy and data laws.
乌鸦传媒淵es, the legislature had to pass these laws,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淏ut there乌鸦传媒檚 also been a strong history of commissioners, going all the way back to the mid-1990s when David Flaherty was the first commissioner. He was a giant in privacy circles and the inspiration for a lot of this work.乌鸦传媒�
That legacy continues today through scholars, institutions, and organizations like the Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA).
乌鸦传媒淚 think it reflects the sophisticated way people in this province think about access, privacy, and their rights,乌鸦传媒� Harvey added.
What the Commissioner Actually Does
Harvey said there are four main areas of work his office handles.
Quasi-judicial role: 乌鸦传媒淲e investigate complaints, can issue orders with the force of law, and even impose monetary penalties in lobbying transparency cases. We also initiate our own investigations.乌鸦传媒�
Education and outreach: 乌鸦传媒淲e raise public awareness and provide information. That乌鸦传媒檚 why I乌鸦传媒檓 out here doing these workshops.乌鸦传媒�
Research: 乌鸦传媒淲e conduct our own research and encourage others to explore privacy and access issues relevant to our mandate.乌鸦传媒�
Policy and legislation: 乌鸦传媒淲e comment on new laws, propose legislative reforms, and review privacy impact assessments from public bodies and organizations.乌鸦传媒�
More Work Ahead
While optimistic, Harvey says his office still has work to do in promoting privacy rights and building public awareness.
乌鸦传媒淚 think there乌鸦传媒檚 more to be done in helping people understand what our office does, the mandates we have, and how they can exercise their rights,乌鸦传媒� he said.
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