ID-scanning technology at Alberta liquor stores invades customer privacy with over collection of data: report
Driver's licence scanning technology that limits access to select Alberta liquor stores is overstepping its reach and collecting additional private details from customers, according to an investigation into privacy concerns.
Edmonton-based Alcanna's use of Calgary-based Servall Data System's Patronscan ID-scanning technology — authorized by the Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act — allows liquor store employees to see a customer's name, age and photograph before granting them access into the store.
The pilot project was launched in January 2020. An investigation into Patronscan was launched by the office of the information and privacy commissioner of Alberta a short time later after Alcanna and Servall officials announced the technology had been approved by Jill Clayton, the privacy commissioner, ahead of its debut.
The privacy commissioner claims she first learned of Patronscan during the announcement of the pilot project.
The investigation determined the collection of names, ages and photographs as a method for identifying and preventing access to people who may have been involved in a previous robbery, theft or act of violence was reasonable and Alcanna does have statutory authority to collect this information.
According to the office of the information and privacy commissioner's investigation report, Alcanna also retained details, including gender and partial postal codes, collected from driver's licence barcodes that exceeds the allotted collectable information and could be potentially used for marketing purposes. The report says personal information from Alberta liquor stores was stored for 90 days, far greater than the 21 days information is stored at most Patronscan-utilizing liquor stores in Canada.
The privacy commissioner report recommends Alcanna, which operates approximately 200 liquor stores in Alberta under a number of different names, stop collecting additional personal information, improve posted notices in store outlining the Patronscan program, and to review and reduce the duration personal information of customers is stored for.
Alcanna officials confirm to CTV News that it has reduced its retention of personal information to 21 days and, since February, no longer collects information other than name and age. The company says signage in stores has been updated to reflect the changes.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'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.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.