A Human Rights-Based Approach to Data Protection in Canada

Abstract

The rapidly changing digital and data landscape has placed increas- ing pressure on Canada’s existing data protection frameworks. Individual-oriented consent-based mechanisms no longer seem adequate or appropriate to address the challenges posed by the ubiquitous and continuous harvesting of massive amounts of data through the Internet of Things, and its use in big data analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. This paper explores the potential for a shift in paradigm—to a human rights-based approach to data and privacy.