Chapter 3 - Closing Case - Say No Thank you to Doughnuts and Tiktok Flashcards
What type of data can be used to create an identify of a person?
Tracking data can be used to understand who a person is based on where they go. They can determine where you work, where you go to school, your gender, especially if it is consistent open a day to day basis.
Describe why Tim Hortons launched their app?
They launched their app in the summer of 2017 to stay competitive with Starbucks. It allows them to pay and order their food before they even get to the store. However the location data is tracked to inform you where the nearest location is.
What does the FAQ’s section of the Tim Hortons have?
How to download the app, and how to use the email with it. It also provides information about how the data settings would track you if you allow it, and teach you how to turn it off if you wish.
What is a common backlash that is faced by the company? What story was released by the financial post? What information was released?
On June 12, 2020 James McLeod complained that he was actively being tracked by the app, knowing he had gone home too Morocco, and the places he went to the office, home, etc. Hundreds of millions use the app thus they are collecting huge amounts of data. Over the span of 5 months, through the PIPEDA he was able to request the information from them and it stated that 2700 data points were collected even when he was not expecting it too.
What is the technology used by Tim Hortons to track?
The technology tracks the time to the exact location. Javacode scripts, the use of standardized time (UNIX time), and the fact that a service organization called Radar Labs Inc was used to provide business intelligence data. This included events like when a person visited a competitor.
Which provinces were involved in the investigation against TIm Hortons. What was the government response of the story once it was released?
The privacy office of Alberta, Canada, Quebec, and British Columbia launched an investigation against Tim Hortons. In June 2022 they found that users were incorrectly led to believe that they would be tracked when the app is open in use, but the reality was it tracked you as long as it was on. The data was meant for marketing decisions but that never happened, and if the data was not required they were not supposed to collect it. They were instructed to delete the data, update privacy programs, and inform when and how this is completed.
What happened to Tim Hortons in September 2022? What does this say about the privacy law?
The Quebec Superior court ruled that Tim Hortons had violated law and were required to pay up some portion, and thus they provided a free beverage and a free baked good to a maximum of 8.58. Since there was no disclosure of the data externally, they could not be charged as PIPEDA did not apply. While they collected it they did not used it in more than a limited way thus they could not be tried, even if the potential was there.
Which countries had banned Tiktok by March 2023 and why?
The countries of Belgium, Canada, the US, and the EU had banned tiktok on all government phones out of fears that Tiktok was sharing the data to the Chinese government. Britain was still determining what to do. Tiktok is a Chinese owned video app used by billions of people. Due to this ban many organizations and cities starting banning it from their servers as well.
What happened to the Waterloo Regional District School Board in July 2022? What happened to BPR?
All of its confidential information since the 1970 had been accessed by Hijackers and they are investigating whether students had been hijacked. A large company with close to 20,000 employees that snowmobiles and the such, reported that confidential information on suppliers and employees were posted to then dark web by RansomEXX
What is the overall conclusion of this case?
Know that legislations cannot protect your data nor can individual organizations. They do their best but we all must have backup plans and strong security like strong passwords, two factor authentication, etc.
