One day after the RCMP admitted to using controversial facial recognition technology, the federal Office of the Privacy Commissioner is opening an investigation into whether its use violates federal privacy law.
“In light of the RCMP’s acknowledgement of its use of Clearview’s technology, the OPC is launching an investigation under the Privacy Act,” said a statement issued Friday by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
The RCMP put out a statement Thursday confirming it has used the technology in 15 child exploitation investigations over the past four months, resulting in the identification and rescue of two children.
The statement also said that “a few units in the RCMP” are also using the controversial tech to “enhance criminal investigations,” but offered no details about how widely, and where, it’s being employed.
CBC News has asked for further information about the RCMP’s use of Clearview AI, including where and how it was employed, but has yet to receive a response.
“While the RCMP generally does not disclose specific tools and technologies used in the course of its investigations, in the interest of transparency, we can confirm that we recently started to use and explore Clearview AI’s facial recognition technology in a limited capacity,” Thursday’s statement said.
“We are also aware of limited use of Clearview AI on a trial basis by a few units in the RCMP to determine its utility to enhance criminal investigations.”
Other police forces using facial recognition too
Clearview AI’s powerful technology can unearth items of personal information — including a person’s name, phone number, address or occupation — based on nothing more than a photo.
Concerns about the software erupted after a New York Times investigation revealed the software had extracted more than three billion photos from public websites like Facebook and Instagram and used them to create a database employed by more than 600 law enforcement agencies in the U.S., Canada and elsewhere.
Earlier this month, Toronto police said some of their officers have used Clearview AI — one month after denying it.
Calgary police say they regularly use facial recognition technology. Hamilton’s police service said it has tested Clearview AI’s system. The Ottawa Police Service tested another system from NeoFace Reveal last year, but said no longer uses it. Edmonton Police say they’re considering using facial recognition technology.
The Ontario Provincial Police said it has used facial recognition technology, but hasn’t specified the product.
David Fraser, a privacy lawyer with McInnes Cooper, said police forces shouldn’t be the ones deciding how to balance expediency in investigations with citizens’ right to privacy.
“It seems that decision making about the use of intrusive technologies is happening entirely in the shadows, without any public oversight …” he said.
“We have lines that need to be drawn and we really need to have a public and societal conversation about where those lines should be drawn.”
Therrien’s office had teamed up with several provincial privacy commissioners for a separate review of Clearview AI’s practices.
House of Commons committee looking into AI
Fraser said he hopes Therrien’s findings prompt a larger political discussion.
“I’m hopeful that not only will there be a verbal smackdown [from Therrien], and I certainly expect that there will be. I hope that that actually prompts policymakers and lawmakers to engage in an actual conversation about the processes that lead to the adoption of technology like this,” he said.
NDP MP Charlie Angus has pushed for members of the House of Commons committee on access to information, privacy and ethics to scrutinize the effects facial recognition tools could have on society.
Teresa Scassa, Canada Research Chair in Information Law and Policy at the University of Ottawa, said strict parameters and a chain of command should be in place for facial recognition tools to prevent their abuse — and it’s not clear if that’s happening in Canada.
“You can imagine, for example, somebody who sees an attractive woman in a bar at a party. doesn’t know who she is, snaps a photo and runs it through the system at work where there are no checks and balances, to find out who she is,” she said.
“If you’re going to adopt these tools, you need to have policies in place. You need checks and balances, you need to have transparency and you need to have a debate … about when it is acceptable to use these technologies versus when it’s not.”
The RCMP said it will work with Therrien on guidelines for using facial-recognition technology under Canadian law.
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. says it has signed a deal that will result in the creation of its first eyewear collection.
The deal announced on Thursday by the Toronto-based luxury apparel company comes in the form of an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement with Marchon Eyewear Inc.
The terms and value of the agreement were not disclosed, but Marchon produces eyewear for brands including Lacoste, Nike, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Longchamp and Zeiss.
Marchon plans to roll out both sunglasses and optical wear under the Canada Goose name next spring, starting in North America.
Canada Goose says the eyewear will be sold through optical retailers, department stores, Canada Goose shops and its website.
Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss told The Canadian Press in August that he envisioned his company eventually expanding into eyewear and luggage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Almost seven years since news broke of an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of packaged bread across Canada, the saga isn’t over: the Competition Bureau continues to investigate the companies that may have been involved, and two class-action lawsuits continue to work their way through the courts.
Here’s a timeline of key events in the bread price-fixing case.
Oct. 31, 2017: The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating allegations of bread price-fixing and that it was granted search warrants in the case. Several grocers confirm they are co-operating in the probe.
Dec. 19, 2017: Loblaw and George Weston say they participated in an “industry-wide price-fixing arrangement” to raise the price of packaged bread. The companies say they have been co-operating in the Competition Bureau’s investigation since March 2015, when they self-reported to the bureau upon discovering anti-competitive behaviour, and are receiving immunity from prosecution. They announce they are offering $25 gift cards to customers amid the ongoing investigation into alleged bread price-fixing.
Jan. 31, 2018: In court documents, the Competition Bureau says at least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread between about 2001 and 2016.
Dec. 20, 2019: A class-action lawsuit in a Quebec court against multiple grocers and food companies is certified against a number of companies allegedly involved in bread price-fixing, including Loblaw, George Weston, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger (which have all denied involvement, except for Loblaw and George Weston, which later settled with the plaintiffs).
Dec. 31, 2021: A class-action lawsuit in an Ontario court covering all Canadian residents except those in Quebec who bought packaged bread from a company named in the suit is certified against roughly the same group of companies.
June 21, 2023: Bakery giant Canada Bread Co. is fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act as part of the Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation.
Oct. 25 2023: Canada Bread files a statement of defence in the Ontario class action denying participating in the alleged conspiracy and saying any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods, which is not a defendant in the case (neither is its current owner Grupo Bimbo). Maple Leaf calls Canada Bread’s accusations “baseless.”
Dec. 20, 2023: Metro files new documents in the Ontario class action accusing Loblaw and its parent company George Weston of conspiring to implicate it in the alleged scheme, denying involvement. Sobeys has made a similar claim. The two companies deny the allegations.
July 25, 2024: Loblaw and George Weston say they agreed to pay a combined $500 million to settle both the Ontario and Quebec class-action lawsuits. Loblaw’s share of the settlement includes a $96-million credit for the gift cards it gave out years earlier.
Sept. 12, 2024: Canada Bread files new documents in Ontario court as part of the class action, claiming Maple Leaf used it as a “shield” to avoid liability in the alleged scheme. Maple Leaf was a majority shareholder of Canada Bread until 2014, and the company claims it’s liable for any price-fixing activity. Maple Leaf refutes the claims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:MFI, TSX:MRU, TSX:EMP.A, TSX:WN)
TORONTO – TD Bank Group, which is mired in a money laundering scandal in the U.S., says chief executive Bharat Masrani will retire next year.
Masrani, who will retire officially on April 10, 2025, says the bank’s, “anti-money laundering challenges,” took place on his watch and he takes full responsibility.
The bank named Raymond Chun, TD’s group head, Canadian personal banking, as his successor.
As part of a transition plan, Chun will become chief operating officer on Nov. 1 before taking over the top job when Masrani steps down at the bank’s annual meeting next year.
TD also announced that Riaz Ahmed, group head, wholesale banking and president and CEO of TD Securities, will retire at the end of January 2025.
TD has taken billions in charges related to ongoing U.S. investigations into the failure of its anti-money laundering program.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
