Privacy in Practice
Building Canada’s Privacy-First
Digital Trust and Identity Future
#PrivacyInPracticeCA
In September 2022, Canada’s federal, provincial, and territorial Privacy Commissioners issued a Joint Resolution on Digital Identity establishing seven conditions that digital trust and identity systems must meet to earn public trust.
This 13 week series examines how well Canada is meeting those standards. Here, we assess where Canadian digital trust and identity succeeds, where challenges remain, and what collaborative action can close the gaps with an honest analysis of achievements and shortcomings across government and industry alike.
The Privacy Compact
Seven conditions from Canada’s Privacy Commissioners that frame this series
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Voluntariness
Adoption must be genuinely voluntary, with equivalent non-digital alternatives available without penalty.
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Data Minimization
Systems must collect only the information necessary for each transaction, proportional to the purpose.
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Anti-Tracking
Digital identity must not enable tracking or tracing of individuals across services.
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Security
Robust technical and organizational measures must protect against unauthorized access and misuse.
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Transparency
Individuals must understand how their information is collected, used, and disclosed.
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Accessibility
Systems must be equitably accessible to all Canadians.
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Independent Oversight
Appropriate oversight mechanisms must ensure accountability.
The Series
A series of articles examining Canadian digital trust and identity against privacy principles
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Article 4
No Tracking: Building Trust Through Architecture
Why BC and Alberta’s wallet architectures make government tracking technically impossible.
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Article 5
The Security Paradox: Protecting Trust and Identity Through Smart Architecture
How distributed architectures protect both security and privacy without creating honeypot databases.
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Article 6
When AI Meets Identity: Navigating Opportunity and Responsibility
AI’s genuine value for fraud prevention and the privacy considerations that require thoughtful governance. -
Article 7
Learning from EUDI: International Lessons for Canadian Success
What Canada can learn from the EU Digital Identity Wallet—successes to emulate and challenges to anticipate.
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Article 8
Accessibility: Does digital trust and identity serve all Canadians?
We will examine who might be left behind and how to ensure inclusion. -
Article 9
Who Watches the Watchers? Strengthening Accountability Together
The value and limits of self-regulation and why industry should support independent oversight. -
Article 10
Trust and Identity Without Borders: Privacy in a Global Context
How Canada can pursue international interoperability while maintaining privacy protection.
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Article 11
Digital Trust and Identity and Young Canadians: Protection That Respects Privacy
Age verification approaches that protect children online without sacrificing their privacy rights.
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Article 12
From Principle to Practice: Closing the Implementation Gap Together
Why privacy principles without implementation are insufficient and what serious implementation requires.
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Article 13
Canada’s Digital Trust and Identity Crossroads: A Call to Collaborative Action
Comprehensive recommendations for government, industry, and civil society and DIACC’s specific commitments.
The Privacy Scorecard
A simple self-assessment tool measuring digital trust and identity services against Canada’s federal, provincial, and territorial privacy commissioners’ joint expectations. This scorecard is a learning tool to help you explore privacy principles. It is not a compliance checklist or legal advice. Use it to spark conversation, explore unfamiliar concepts, and identify areas worth digging into further.
Follow the Series
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