Civil liberties group asks Liberals to end use facial fingerprint tech in party votes
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is asking the Liberals to stop using facial recognition technology as part of the party's process to select candidates in the next federal election.
The Liberals are leaning on the technology to verify the identity of those eligible to vote in nomination meetings, having started to roll out its use across Canada in recent days.
Those nomination meetings, normally held in person, have moved online this summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CCLA laid out its concerns in a letter to the party Wednesday, saying facial fingerprinting carries privacy pitfalls and reliability concerns and that its use by the Liberals sends the message to other election officials that the technology is "ready for prime time."
In the letter, provided to The Canadian Press after it was sent to the party, the association said it understands the party has an obligation to verify the identity of voters given the unique circumstances.
"The choice to use a technological tool to facilitate an online voting process in these pandemic times may have been made with the intention of making it easier for members to vote, thereby fulfilling a number of laudable democratic goals," reads the letter, signed by executive director Michael Bryant.
"But facial fingerprinting is the wrong tool, right now, in Canada."
The Liberals have partnered with American-based firm Jumio, which works with companies in some 200 countries and lists 7-Eleven and PC Financial among its clients in Canada. In early May, the company reported it was verifying more than one million identities daily as the pandemic drove a need for physically distanced checks.
What the company's technology does is compare a selfie to a government-issued identity document to make sure the document is valid, the picture matches the person in the selfie, and that the person is physically there.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Organizations need to take extreme care before implementing technology like this, said Michael McEvoy, British Columbia's privacy commissioner, noting that it may be far more than what is necessary to do the job.
Users can't change a fingerprint or facial scan as easily as they can change a password or replace a credit card if their biometric data is hacked, McEvoy said.
He also said the technology has been known to not properly identify people of colour.
"Legislators, both federally and provincially, need to be thinking about these issues, because the technology is developing at a rapid rate," McEvoy said. "We have to come to grips with those issues and ask ourselves whether the present laws are really sufficiently up to the up to the task."
Party spokesman Braeden Caley said eligible voters have a choice between using the automated verification process similar to those relied on by financial institutions, or doing so manually over video with a party official like one would during in-person nomination meetings.
Caley added that the party consulted the guidance issued by the federal privacy commissioner before opting to go with the technology, and deletes all associated information once a nomination voter is verified.
The party has already announced 169 candidates. Multiple nomination votes have also been called for the days and weeks ahead, Caley said.
Given the pace of meetings and the varying hours that they can be held, the party opted to go with Jumio because it offered round-the-clock support.
While there are privacy rules and guidelines for companies and police agencies, federal political parties are not subject to privacy laws outside of British Columbia.
That's a glaring gap Parliament must address, McEvoy said.
"Federal political parties should be treated like any other organization would be. They should have to make sure that their collection, use and disclosure of information is in accordance with the law," he said.
"At this point, it is not, and that's something that needs to change."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2021.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.
Local Spotlight
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fergus, Ont. man feels nickel-and-dimed for $0.05 property tax bill
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
'I'm committed': Oilers fan won't cut hair until Stanley Cup comes to Edmonton
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
'It's not my father's body!' Wrong man sent home after death on family vacation in Cuba
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
'Once is too many times': Education assistants facing rising violence in classrooms
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
What is capital gains tax? How is it going to affect the economy and the younger generations?
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
UBC football star turning heads in lead up to NFL draft
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.