Dr. Ann Cavoukian, Information and Privacy Commissioner, Ontario

Privacy is the topic that businesses are grappling with today. Increasingly, companies are facing legislative and other regulatory requirements to protect the personal information in their possession. Furthermore, studies show that the public’s privacy concerns are costing e-commerce businesses billions of dollars in lost revenue each year. Businesses are facing a number of challenging questions regarding privacy: How do the privacy laws of Canada compare with the rest of the world? Will Ontario have a response to the federal government’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act? What best practices should businesses follow to meet their customers’ privacy concerns? Do new technologies help or hinder privacy? How does the new focus on security alter the privacy debate?