Every click you make: feds consider how closely they’ll watch Canadians online

OTTAWA – The federal government is rethinking how closely it watches Canadians online.

They’ve introduced new rules on the use of data gathered by visits to government websites.

The rules prevent the government from profiling an individual’s online activity by tracking their unique online identifier.

The new rules were prompted by a letter from the privacy commissioner, who expressed concerns about the privacy risks associated with the collection of that information.

They were put in place ahead of the federal government’s planned overhaul of its online presence.

The web renewal project is expected to also include a set of standards for how the government uses social media tools, which aren’t currently subject to any privacy restrictions.