Thursday, August 01, 2013

Privacy Commissioner Decides Everything Is Fine...Snooklandians Just Need More 'Training'.

WhoNeedsCourtOrders
WhenYou'veHadFourInterviewsVille


The money quote,  as actually quoted in the press release from the office of provincial Information and Privacy Commisioner Elizabeth Denham:

“Our investigation did not find evidence that information was shared between government and the B.C. Liberal Party. However, it did reveal the exchange of government information using personal email accounts, particularly among individuals in government departments who have roles closely tied to the governing party.”...

And what is this based on?

Well, it would appear to be based on interviews with four individuals, under oath.

From the actual report's executive summary:

...Given the seriousness of the allegations, this office conducted interviews of four individuals under oath...



Interesting that very narrow, well-defined aspect of the 'investigation',  no?

And, it would appear that these interviews resulted in the following, apparently gleaned by someone from CKNW at the presser with the Commissioner this morning:









Sure thing.

No need to check the actual data whatsoever, right?

Meanwhile...

The Snooklandians have agreed to abide by all five recommendations of the commissioner, none of which will lead to any actual consequences of any sort, immediately.

Here they are (from page 25 of the report):

No 1: Government should provide training for its employees regarding the use of personal email accounts for government business in order to ensure that reasonable security measures are in place to protect personal information, and that personal information is not stored or disclosed outside of Canada.

No 2: Government should ensure that copies of all records created by its employees that relate to government business are located in government controlled information management systems.

No 3: Government should provide its employees with sufficient technological resources to ensure that they do not have a reason to use personal email accounts in the performance of their government duties.

No 4: Government should ensure that employees with roles that are closely tied to the governing party participate in mandatory privacy training sessions regarding the need to keep personal information obtained in their government role separate from personal information obtained in any role they might have with the political party.

No 5: The BC Liberal Party should ensure that employees and volunteers who also have roles within government participate in mandatory privacy training sessions regarding the need to keep personal information obtained in their BC Liberal Party role separate from personal information obtained in their government role.


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And, as we first noted last fall when we found out about the smear-site shennanigans going down deep inside the Ledge,  Woodward and Bernstein most definitely did NOT stop their digging when their story took them deep inside another set of executive offices...Given that, cast your mind back...How much Lotuslandian proMedia follow-up digging can you recall on this matter post-Dyble?
Meanwhile, via the Twittmachine, The Dean says: "Info commish Denham also warned gov't over use of personal e-mail for public business in investigation of Boessenkool departure." .....OK, Fair enough, but.....What are he and his going to do about it?
Update, Lunchtime Thursday.....Let the competition of the Watercarriers....Begin!


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13 comments:

Anonymous said...

1. Does the Privacy Commissioner serve at the pleasure of the Premier?

2. Looks like the players need better game.

Sadly Hooked

RossK said...

SH--

Point 1....Yes; And back when things were going down and said Commissioner was actually making a little noise, it was not clear who that Premier would be.

Point 2....And/or fancier, schmancier hand-held devices (see Recommendation No. 3).


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Anonymous said...

Will the Liberals offer the NDP training as well.... after all it did accuse the opposition of doing the same thing ?( despite the NDP first seeking approval from the government finance people)

Guy in Victoria

Anonymous said...

re 1. Thanks for the less-than-surprising answer RossK

re 2. I meant being in communicado stealth-wise....

The Commish was just do'in her job:

"Privacy" Wikipedia:

Privacy (from Latin: privatus "separated from the rest, deprived of something, esp. office, participation in the government", from privo "to deprive") is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively


"Commissioner" Wikipedia:

A Commissioner within a modern state generally holds his office by virtue of a commission from the head of state or a council of elected representatives (or appointed by non-elected officials in the case of dictatorships).

Sadly Hooked

RossK said...

Guy--

Most excellent point - thanks.


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SH--

Our thoughts on point #2 are not necessarily mutually exclusive.


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Regarding the interviewed...The fine folks at Integrity BC are making a bit of a fuss about who was NOT.

Interviewed, I mean.


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Anonymous said...

Glad to see Integrity BC is on this file.

S.H.

krank! said...

CBC-Callback 604-669- go f$&k yourselves
CKNW listener line 604-280- go f$&k yourselves.... There, now I feel better. Proceed with more stories on bears, royal offspring, lost hikers, bike lanes,food trucks ad nauseum. Bloggers, feel free to add to the inconsequential list.

Anonymous said...

krank, used to be my noon hour revolved around BC almanac, sad to see its decline.

Remember the great hour from 1:00 -2:00 when people would respond to issues of great import? You really got the pulse of the province. Perhaps we didn't see the recent electoral fiasco coming because we've lost that public forum?

I am not interested in the "heroics" of marathon runners, cyclists, mountain climbers and the like. Nor am I interested in hearing politicians take up air time with talking points.

Of course, safe-topics require little research, and they bring little chance of the legal difficulties on-air slander would bring.

The CBC's Chris Walker is wasted on the Okanagan, his interviews deserve to be heard across the province.

He is so skilled at gently leading politicians down a path, like the unassuming Columbo of radio.

Google Daybreak South Christy Clark Penticton Hospital to hear a skilled interviewer at work...

Sadly Hooked




kootcoot said...

Interesting, about Chris Walker, as I listen to Daybreak South and am often surprised at how actually probing he can be in a very polite and civil manner. Maybe that's why they put him in the middle of the "cradle of free enterprise," or the spawning ground of Bennetts, good, worse and worser!

"and that personal information is not stored or disclosed outside of Canada."

How does the above fit into contracting out our medical records to US Corp Maximus where I assume they are "legally" vunerable to the (un)Patriot(ic) Act?

RossK said...

Not familiar with Mr. Walker's greater body of work.

Is he the guy that moderated the WKelowna Bye-Bye debate? Thought whoever did that did a pretty good job.
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fwiw, I very much agree with krank regarding the useful/lessness of 'talkback' lines.

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Anonymous said...

Chris Walker takes on Promise Barbie:

http://www.cbc.ca/daybreaksouth/2013/03/22/bc-liberals-say-penticton-hospital-expansion-will-go-ahead/

S.H.

RossK said...

Wow.

That is good stuff and is, essentially, the anti-Puffmaster Flash...

Thanks SH.

Anonymous said...

I believe there were two all candidate meetings.

I didn't watch either, no stomach for it--one of them was moderated by CBC's Andrew Glass:

http://www.kelownachamber.org/wcnews/NewsArticleDisplay.aspx?articleid=85

s h