U.S. Patriot Act Raises Canadian Privacy Fears

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – A Canadian province has opened a fractious debate over whether a U.S. anti-terrorism law invades its citizens’ privacy, a move that could affect how American firms do business with Canada.

British Columbia’s top privacy official is probing complaints that the U.S. Patriot Act allows the FBI to use U.S. firms — and their foreign subsidiaries — to gain access to Canadians’ medical and financial records.

The law, enacted after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, gives the FBI broad powers to collect information from companies without the subjects of the probe knowing they are under investigation.

Civil libertarians in both countries say Canada must take steps to protect its citizens’ private information, but U.S. security officials and firms that collect and store personal data say the fears are overblown.

British Columbia is one of the first foreign jurisdictions to examine the Patriot Act’s implications outside U.S. borders, and the study has drawn submissions from across Canada, the United States and Europe.

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