Canada Unveils Legislation to Strengthen Privacy Rules and Limit Algorithmic Pricing

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has unveiled a legislation which aims to strengthen the country’s privacy rules, warning tat ‘companies should not have the ability to use your behaviour, your location, your profile, your vulnerabilities, or your personal information to charge unfair prices. ’ According to a report by Bloomberg, the proposal is designed to limit businesses from exploiting consumer data to impose higher costs, while giving individuals more control over their information. As per the Bloomberg report, the legislation announced on June 15, would restrict the use of algorithmic pricing which is also known as surveillance pricing, where the companies adjust the prices based on personal data. While the bills stop short of banning the practice outright, it also seeks to prevent harms that outweigh benefits. Loyalty programs and rewards, which offer discounts rather than penalties, would remain permissible. Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon emphasized that personal data should not be weaponized for price gouging. “Your personal information should not be used against you,” he said.

Stronger consumer rights

If passed, the law would also: * Require organizations to disclose more about automated decisions. * Give Canadians the right to delete their personal information under certain circumstances. * Treat children’s data as sensitive, requiring stricter protections. The government plans to establish a new regulator to oversee compliance in the private sector, complementing the Office of the Privacy Commissioner’s oversight of federal institutions. Businesses that fail to comply could face fines of up to C$10 million or 3% of global revenue, whichever is greater. The most serious violations could trigger penalties of C$25 million or 5% of global revenue.

Canadian PM Mark Carney on US ban on Anthropic's new AI models

Recently, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that Washington’s decision to restrict Anthropic’s newest AI models highlights the risks of depending too heavily on a small number of American providers. “Nobody has done anything wrong in the situation. But we will have done something wrong if we just accept this, don’t take the lesson, don’t build out and diversify,” Carney told Fortune. On June 12, Anthropic confirmed that it had taken its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 AI models offline to comply with a directive from the Trump administration. The order prevents the foreign nationals from accessing the company’s most advanced AI systems, making the US government’s most significant step yet in restricting frontier AI exports. Anthropic release Fable 5 widely last week, whereas Mythos 5 remained tightly controlled due to cybersecurity concerns. The AI giant described Mythos as “strikingly capable,” warning it could surpass human experts in identifying and exploiting computer vulnerabilities.