International Law

Canada may introduce "naked naked" machines for airport security

Yesterday was the Canadian Bar Association's first full-day continuing education event in Ottawa. The first panel of the morning was particularly interesting, composed of the information and privacy commissioners from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Quebec and the two federal offices. Each commissioner was asked what keeps them up at night and Jennifer Stoddart foreshadowed the possible introduction of "naked naked" machines in Canadian airports. Sarah Schmidt from CanWest was in the audience and reported on it:

'Naked' screening may land at Canadian airports, says privacy czar

OTTAWA ? Canada's privacy watchdog has warned that even more intrusive "naked" screening machines at airports could be in the works with the federal government's emphasis on national security.

Speaking to members of the Canadian Bar Association, Jennifer Stoddart on Monday highlighted national security as one of the pressing issues that keeps her "up at night" and mused openly about second generation full-body scanners coming to Canada in the future, calling them "naked, naked" scanners.

"National security pressures ? they're real, they're constant," Stoddart, Canada's privacy commissioner since 2003, told participants of the special symposium about privacy in the age of technology.

"Are we going to get naked, naked machines? Apparently, not for the moment." ...

Full post as published by The Canadian Privacy Law Blog on September 21, 2010 (boomark / email).