Name of presenter(s) or subtitle Privacy laws and their impact on research David W. Stark MRIA B.C. Chapter November 2, 2005
Privacy laws and their impact on research
©2005 TNS Canadian Facts 3 Agenda Privacy legislation overview Canadian & U.S. laws Compliance: is it working? Industry implications Helpful resources Q&A
©2005 TNS Canadian Facts 4 Privacy legislation overview Freedom of Information Access Privacy and Protection of Personal Data Privacy Act - Canada Access to Info. Act - Canada Privacy Legislation - Quebec EU Privacy Directive PIPEDA - Canada PIPA - AB & BC Freedom of Information Act – U.S. Privacy Act – U.S Safe Harbor – U.S.
©2005 TNS Canadian Facts 5 Canadian laws Federal regulations Competition Act (1985; rev and 2001) CRTC Telemarketing Rules (1994; rev. 2004) PIPEDA ( ) Comprehensive law affecting all industries in private sector Bill C-37 (2005?) Would establish a national do- not-call registry Anti-spam legislation (2006?)
©2005 TNS Canadian Facts 6 Canadian laws Provincial regulations Personal information protection acts Quebec (1995) Alberta (2004) British Columbia (2004) Personal health information acts Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario
©2005 TNS Canadian Facts 7 U.S. laws Federal Regulations Telephone Consumer Protection Act (1991) Telemarketing Sales Rule (1996) Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (1996) Financial Modernization Act (Graham-Leach-Bliley) (1999) Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (2000) USA PATRIOT Act (2001) CAN-SPAM Law (2003)
©2005 TNS Canadian Facts 8 U.S. laws Federal Regulations Federal Trade Commission Act (Section 5) Obligation to abide by one’s posted privacy policies Eavesdropping and Taping Laws (FCC) Telephone interviewing, focus groups
©2005 TNS Canadian Facts 9 U.S. laws State Regulations Anti-spam laws Do-not-call laws and lists California’s Online Privacy Protection Act (CA OPPA) Must post privacy policy on website if collecting personally-identifiable information from CA residents. California (Senate Bill 1386) Must notify state residents of actual or suspected breach of unencrypted data
©2005 TNS Canadian Facts 10 U.S. laws State Regulations Other states passing legislation similar to California’s privacy laws 28 pending bills in 17 states that would regulate offshoring of personal information Offshoring of state contracts Disclosure of location and name of call centre Prohibition against sending PII to non-U.S. recipients
©2005 TNS Canadian Facts 11 What’s driving consumer privacy laws? Most privacy regulations enacted since early 1990s Coincides with digital information age Databases of PII that can be manipulated and moved offshore at click of a button Public opinion Identity theft “fastest growing crime in the nation” - FTC Outsourcing offshore
Compliance: is it working?
©2005 TNS Canadian Facts 13 Compliance in Canada Low awareness of PIPEDA and provincial privacy laws Federal Privacy Commissioner has treated offending organizations with kid gloves Commissioner’s Office understaffed Still, in general, Canadian firms seem to be more privacy-conscious than their U.S. counterparts
©2005 TNS Canadian Facts 14 Compliance in the United States Patchwork of privacy laws difficult for organizations Multinationals would prefer a national privacy law (similar to PIPEDA) FTC names offending organizations on its website Private right of action in many U.S. laws gives rise to class action suits EU study suggests several U.S. firms on Safe Harbor list are not in compliance
Industry implications
©2005 TNS Canadian Facts 16 Industry implications Third-party disclosures Clients’ customer lists Sharing respondents’ personally-identifiable information with clients List brokers / sample providers Qualitative research: recruiter, moderator, facility Online research Explicit opt-in consent ISP shutdowns customer research client research supplier
©2005 TNS Canadian Facts 17 Industry implications Data security and retention Physical, electronic and organizational Minimum and maximum retention periods International data flows U.S. state laws could impact Canadian call centres and data processing firms Main motive of these laws is protectionism (many U.S. jobs have been outsourced to low-wage countries)
©2005 TNS Canadian Facts 18 Industry implications Contracts with clients that include indemnities and privacy protection clauses Increasing number of clients require completion of comprehensive privacy assessment forms Research is becoming more difficult to conduct
Helpful resources
©2005 TNS Canadian Facts 20 Helpful resources Federal Privacy Commissioner’s website International Association of Privacy Professionals Nymity (privacy consulting firm) MRIA Privacy Protection Handbook (formerly CAMRO)
©2005 TNS Canadian Facts 21 Thank you Tel.: (416)