Contributions Program projects underway

On June 20, 2022, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) announced funding for a new round of independent research and knowledge translation projects funded under its Contributions Program. These projects will be completed by March 31, 2023. The OPC will post a summary of completed projects, as well as links to their outcomes, once the projects are completed and reviewed by the OPC.

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2022-23 Contributions Program funding recipients

Organization: York University
Project title: Privacy Evaluation of Virtual Classrooms
Amount awarded: $ 49,679.00
Project leader: Yan Shvartzshnaider
Province: Ontario

Project summary:

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced universities to transition to online platforms, which has exposed them to greater privacy challenges and threats. What makes the situation more complex is that the information handling practices of these platforms often go beyond the educational context. This project seeks to understand the privacy implications of using online platforms for educational purposes.

Specifically, the project will measure to what extent the functionalities and information-handling practices of platforms align with privacy regulations, users' expectations, and ethical concerns. The project will also explore how the pandemic has changed established norms, as remote learning becomes more pervasive, focusing on technological practices such as facial recognition or location-based tracking services to mark student attendances or in-class attention. At the end of the project, the research team hopes to be able to provide informative guidance to stakeholders in designing effective privacy preserving online systems.

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Organization: University of Guelph
Project title: Securing Privacy: Examining the Tension Between Push and Pull of Cybersecurity Adoption
Amount awarded: $ 49,450.00
Project leader: Davar Rezania
Province: Ontario

Project summary:

This research project seeks to examine the privacy protection practices of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Specifically it looks at how the interaction of external factors (for example government policies, technological advances and market forces) and internal factors (such as the characteristics of an organization, its privacy practices and reputation) affects cybersecurity adoption within those organizations. The researchers hope that identifying the factors that contribute to an SME’s decision to adopt cybersecurity measures can form the basis of recommendations for future amendments to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

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Organization: York University
Project title: Deconstructing/Performing the Amazon Ring Security Apparatus
Amount awarded: $ 27,020.00
Project leader: Evan Light
Province: Ontario

Project summary:

This project will examine how the Amazon Ring home security system watches and tracks people, where the data generated by this surveillance goes, and the laws and policies that govern these interactions. A key component of the project is the construction of an Amazon Ring show home within an exhibition space at York University. Within and outside the home, a number of technical components will perform and display a real-time analysis of what is happening behind the scenes.

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Organization: Pinnguaq Association
Project title: Privacy, AI, and Machine Learning Through a Rural, Remote, and Indigenous Lens: A Resource and Toolkit
Amount awarded: $ 50,000.00
Project leader: Ryan Oliver
Province: Nunavut

Project summary:

Who is impacted by the privacy and digital safety risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in rural, remote and Indigenous communities across Canada? This project will explore that question and produce a free, responsive educator toolkit to be distributed across Canada that supports the assessment and mitigation of privacy risks, as well as an understanding of the barriers and inequalities for Canadians living in these communities.

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Organization: First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC)
Project title: First Nations Data Sovereignty and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)
Amount awarded: $48,740.45
Project leader: Albert Armieri
Province: Ontario

Project summary:

This project intends to support First Nations’ awareness and understanding of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). FNIGC will develop a plain language guide to the legislation with a focus on practical information for First Nations governments, organizations, and individuals responsible for its application. By enabling First Nations to better understand and apply the legislation, this project also seeks to help First Nations businesses to thrive.

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Organization: Open North
Project title: The Intersectional Privacy Risks of Law Enforcement Influence and Involvement in Smart City Projects
Amount awarded: $ 50,000.00
Project leader: Merlin Chatwin
Province: Quebec

Project summary:

This project focuses on the link between the private and public sectors in the development of smart cities. Specifically, it will investigate how smart city projects in Canada have been influenced by law enforcement agencies, or have taken steps to accommodate law enforcement’s interest in their projects. The project will also develop an intersectional analysis of differential privacy harms caused by such influence. Finally, a final report, as well as a set of field guides and workshop templates will be produced for existing or aspiring smart city projects, to help them navigate law enforcement influence and make informed decisions about smart city project designs.

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Organization: University of Regina
Project title: Public Perspectives on Facial Recognition Technology: Attitudes, Preferences, Hopes, and Concerns
Amount awarded: $ 49,450.00
Project leader: Justin Longo
Province: Saskatchewan

Project summary:

This research proposes to test empirically what Canadians deem acceptable in the context of facial recognition technology (FRT) applications used by private sector actors. A survey of Canadian residents from all provinces and territories will gather information on attitudes towards FRT used in a variety of settings, focusing on safety, privacy, fairness, and discrimination concerns. The researchers hope their work will have implications for the adoption of FRT by the private sector and the development of legislation and regulation in response to its use.

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Organization: Queen's University
Project title: Proof of Erasure: Secure Personal Data Deletion with Public Verifiability
Amount awarded: $ 50,000.00
Project leader: Jianbing Ni
Province: Ontario

Project summary:

Customers increasingly are asking service providers that maintain their digital information to delete their data. However, the current legislative landscape raises a number of questions, notably with regard to the right to erasure of Canadians. This project aims to acquire knowledge and understanding of data deletion policies, as well as explore effective approaches for secure data deletion and advanced designs of proof of erasure. In particular, the project will study the extent to which the right of data deletion is recognized by various privacy laws and regulations, such as the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), and analyze how that right is deployed on existing data platforms. It will also identify through an online survey and a case study the secure personal data deletion policies expected by the public.

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Organization: Centre de documentation sur l’éducation des adultes et la condition féminine (CDEACF)
Project title: Protecting victims’ privacy to prevent spousal homicide
Amount awarded: $50,000.00
Project leader: Lise Chovino
Province: Quebec

Project summary:

This project aims to help us understand and document the need for digital security and privacy protection when evaluating the safety net of women in second-stage housing (i.e. shelters for women who are at risk of being victims of spousal homicide after leaving an emergency shelter). It will allow us to evaluate security breaches due to digital service provider practices, gauge the level of safety felt by housed women with access to these services and better protect them from the impacts of information collection by developing adapted teaching tools.

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Organization: Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB)
Project title: Consent and Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility
Amount awarded: $ 48,944.00
Project leader: Mahadeo Sukhai
Province: Ontario

Project summary:

This project will research the relationship between individual consent as it relates to personal information and the factors that make up a person’s identity. Specifically, the project team will seek to better understand the ways in which people who are blind in Canada understand, provide and conceptualize consent, while also considering other factors in the course of their research, such as mother tongue, ethnicity, race, educational background, additional disability, age, and employment. This will in turn allow the CNIB to shape its practices in ways that respect the concepts of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility. These findings and practices will be shared with other Canadian organizations in the hopes of shaping their practices for the better.

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Organization: Concordia University
Project title: Privacy Analysis of Technologies Used in Intimate Partner Abuse
Amount awarded: $ 26,716.55
Project leader: Mohammad Mannan
Province: Quebec

Project summary:

Technology plays a major role in facilitating intimate partner violence (IPC) where invasion of privacy has become a significant form of IPC. Such violation of privacy can happen through monitoring the victim’s movements using stalkerware and hidden Wi-Fi cameras, and by using drones to non-consensually film or harass the victim. Manipulating and distributing intimate images obtained through creepshots and deepfakes are other forms of such abuse. The aim of this project is to investigate the cyber-IPC ecosystem including the technological tools that are used by abusers, as well as the computer security tools or apps that can be provided to help victims. The researchers will produce a public report that summarizes their findings, presents recommendations for solutions, and include guidelines for victims. The team will also produce a technical paper.

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