Open Letter: A Call for Biometric Privacy Protection in Canada

 🌐 Why I Wrote This Letter

Technology is evolving faster than our laws. Recently, experiments showed that wearable devices such as Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, developed by Meta Platforms, can potentially be connected to facial recognition tools capable of identifying strangers in real time.

While some demonstrations were conducted by students at Harvard University to highlight privacy risks, the experiment exposed a deeper issue: the technology to identify people instantly in public spaces already exists.

But the legal protections for citizens have not kept pace.

As someone who studied digital media and technology design, I believe it is important to speak up before these technologies become normalized without proper safeguards. Canadians deserve clear rules that protect personal privacy while allowing innovation to move forward responsibly.

For this reason, I have written the following open letter to **Elizabeth May and Members of Parliament, asking them to consider stronger legal protections for biometric privacy in Canada.

---

📜 Open Letter: A Call for Biometric Privacy Protection in Canada

Dear Elizabeth May and Members of Parliament,

I am writing as a concerned citizen, writer, and former technology designer to raise an urgent issue that is arriving faster than our laws are prepared to handle.

Recent technology experiments have demonstrated how wearable devices—such as Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses created by Meta Platforms—can potentially be connected to facial recognition software and public databases to identify strangers in real time.

While some experiments were conducted by students at Harvard University to highlight privacy risks, the demonstration revealed something much larger:

The technological capability to identify individuals in public spaces is already here.

The law, however, has not yet caught up.

Across Canada, citizens still expect a reasonable degree of anonymity in everyday public life. When we walk down a street, sit in a café, or enjoy a beach, we do not expect that strangers may secretly identify us, collect our personal data, or build profiles about us without our consent.

Facial recognition and biometric surveillance technologies challenge these expectations in profound ways. 👁️

Canada already recognizes privacy as a fundamental value. Institutions such as the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia have warned about the risks associated with biometric data collection. Yet these offices can only make recommendations; they cannot create the laws required to protect the public.

That responsibility rests with Parliament.

For this reason, I respectfully ask that Parliament consider introducing legislation to address the emerging risks of biometric surveillance technologies, including wearable devices capable of facial recognition.

One possible starting point could be a framework such as the Public Biometric Protection Act, which could include provisions such as:

🔹 Clear consent requirements before biometric data can be collected or analyzed
🔹 Restrictions on facial recognition use in everyday public spaces
🔹 Mandatory visible indicators when wearable cameras or biometric scanners are recording
🔹 Strict limits on storage, sale, or sharing of biometric data
🔹 Meaningful penalties for organizations that violate these protections
🔹 Independent oversight and regular review of biometric technologies

The purpose of such legislation would not be to stop innovation.

Rather, it would ensure that innovation develops alongside democratic safeguards that respect the dignity, autonomy, and safety of Canadians. ⚖️

Technology moves quickly. Laws must sometimes move just as quickly to ensure that new tools serve the public good rather than undermine it.

I hope that you and your colleagues in Parliament will consider raising this issue for debate and exploring ways to strengthen Canada's protections against invasive biometric surveillance.

Respectfully,

Tina Winterlik
Writer and Digital Media Creator
(also known as Zipolita)