Digital Privacy Across Borders: Canadian and American Perspectives

Background

In earlier times, teachers and parents cautioned children not to share personal information with a stranger or any person they had just met (usually in person and in real time). There was an expectation that information (about children’s lives and their activities) was disclosed only to those with close ties to them, such as their families or caregivers, and only in supervised settings. Names, addresses, and pictures that might identify a child, known as personally identifiable information or PII, were captured on paper files in the school office or the doctor’s office and often there were no mechanisms to connect these discrete paper files from one organization to the next. Use of technology in that era was also simpler; there were expectations that children used technology only under adult supervision, for example using a telephone that was centrally located in the home. In other words, personal information about students was more protected, both through adult supervision and a lack of access.