I had to take a break due to illness (see future post – my story) and moving to a province that is much less of a surveillance state. As often happens, things take longer than expected but I learned more. Unfortunately, most of it isn’t good.
I moved to a province where (in no particular order):
- there are no cameras in the streets or on the buses
- no retention of medical information over seven years; BC has retained medical information since 1995, so 20 years and counting (5). In some cases they have data from 1985 (see #10), so 30 years and counting
- there is no BC Services Card where all your information is linked (to be used for many purposes I’m sure the people of BC haven’t heard about)
- no MSP, much less one where the “storage, handling and administration” of our personal medical records is handled by an American company, subject to the US Patriot Act and other US laws (4)
- no Translink compass card on the buses (3
- Use of facial recognition technology limited to driver’s license (6)
- no smart meter or, as some people refer to it, the stupid meter
- As far as I know they have not taken away our right to determine who has access to our body parts and information
- As far as I know, they do not track children (see The Children, June 17, 2011)
- As far as I know, they do not track everything else on people.
For example (from The Children – June 17, 2011), in BC “HELP partner, Population Data BC, offers the research community access to one of the world’s largest collections of health care, health services and population health care data; “Population Data BC offers qualified researchers access to a rich source of linkable, person specific, but de-identified data on British Columbia’s four million residents, in many cases from 1985 forward. Current data holdings include health care and health service records, population and demographic data and occupational data. This post also identifies all the other information these “people” want and, as for, de-identified, I believe that lie has been laid to rest (See future posts “Our Information Is Not Protected” and “Anonymous”).
- No automated license plate recognition technology (ALPR system) as far as I know (1)(2)(7)
- No Gag laws (see posting “Gag Law”, May 12, 2013)
13. No giving political parties/candidates/individuals “who voted” lists (see future post “BC Bill 20)
Look at the amount of information BC is collecting vs another province and BC plans to collect a lot more, such as Translink’s Compass card (2). In other words big brother/sister has a MUCH smaller footprint in another province and the citizens have more privacy, more rights.
When you look at the list of ways the people in BC are being tracked and information collected you have to come to the conclusion that this information, and our body parts, are being sold/traded/bartered (see future post “sold/traded/bartered).
* (see next three of my posts “Selling/Trading/Bartering”, “Smart Carecard”, “Translink”).
(1) Former solicitor general applauds license plate privacy report – Andrew MacLeod, 23 Nov 2012, The Hook
(2) Police use of licence plate scans breaks privacy law: commissioner, Andrew MacLeod, 15 Nov 2012, The Hook (3) Critics worry ID, Compass cards could be linked, Gordon Hoekstra, 15 Aug 2013, Vancouver Sun
(4) 100+ reasons the BC Liberals must go, No Strings Attached : Laila Yuile on politics and life in B.C.
(5) Plan to unlock B.C.’s trove of medical data raises privacy concerns, Rod Mickleburgh, 18 Apr 2012, The Globe and Mail
(6) Investigation Into The Use Of Facial Recognition Technology By The Insurance Corporation of BC, 16 Feb, 2012, The Office of the Privacy Commissioner
(7) We Know Where You Drove Last Night: Police, Andrew MacLeod, 16 Nov 2012, TheTyee.ca
(8) Powerful new card to replace B.C. Care Card, The Canadian Press, 08 Jan 2013, CBC News
(9) Privacy concerns raised over Translink’s new fare card, 18 Jan 2013, CBC News