Judy Greenwald reports: The University of Akron is expected to soon rescind a controversial rule that lets the university demand DNA samples from job applicants as part of a criminal background check. Observers say the requirement—believed to be the first genetic testing rule imposed by an employer—violates the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act and the Americans…
Some Courts Raise Bar on Reading Employee Email
Dionne Searcey has a piece in the Wall Street Journal describing some court cases on whether employers can read employee email. While it is safest to assume that you will have no privacy and that your boss can access anything you do on their computers, the courts have not always ruled that way, especially if…
Ca: E-passports won’t include fingerprints
Althia Raj reports: OTTAWA — The federal privacy watchdog has rejected Passport Canada’s plan to embed fingerprints and iris scans in electronic passports. In a review of the project, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner told the passport office not to include new biometric information on a radio frequency chip encoded in e-passports. “The more…
Wheat board couldn’t explain why they shared personal info
Steve Rennie reports: The Canadian Wheat Board, apparently for no reason, shared “sensitive information” about farmers with companies that handle grain, says a newly released document. An internal audit completed last year says the wheat board couldn’t explain why it sent farmers’ “confidential personal financial data” to the taxman and so-called handling agents. “The CWB…