FERPA protects the privacy of students in the U.S. FIPPA protects the privacy of students in Canada. They have a lot in common, as this report from the Canadian University Press indicates:
The registrar’s office at Ryerson University could have violated Ontario’s privacy legislation if it released the name and program of student Alaa Hejazi last November.
Hejazi, whose lawyer had not yet confirmed his enrolment status, had turned himself in to Toronto Police on Nov. 14 in connection with two sexual assaults in the city.
In an email to The Eyeopener, The Globe and Mailconfirmed that a reporter called the Ryerson registrar’s office later that day to investigate Hejazi’s student status. The Globe also learned that Hejazi was enrolled as a second-year in the university’s business technology management program.
But according to Tony Conte, director of the office of the vice provost, students, the registrar’s release of such information would violate the university’s privacy policy.
Read more on CUP.