Canada’s privacy commissioner supports bill to protect youth online
In his remarks, Commissioner Dufresne said that he supports this Bill as a way to help protect young people online.
Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne appeared before the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs to discuss Bill S-209, An Act to restrict young persons’ online access to pornographic material. In his statement, Dufresne expressed full support for the Bill, emphasising that protecting children’s privacy is one of his office’s key priorities and an essential part of ensuring young people can safely navigate the digital world.
The Commissioner noted that the digital environment poses particular risks for young people, as demonstrated in his office’s recent joint investigation into TikTok with provincial counterparts. He stressed that regulators, governments, industry, and civil society must work together to uphold children’s best interests and privacy rights.
Dufresne highlighted that his earlier recommendations from May 2024 have been incorporated into the current version of the Bill. These include limiting the scope of its application and enhancing privacy protections in age-verification and age-estimation systems. The revised text now obliges the Governor in Council to ensure that privacy criteria are met, rather than merely consider them, and requires the collection of only the information strictly necessary for age verification.
He explained that prioritising privacy will foster public confidence in age-assurance technologies while ensuring the Bill achieves its protective aims. His office has also conducted consultations on privacy-protective age-assurance methods and is developing guidance on how such systems can be implemented responsibly.
Referring to a 2024 international joint statement on age assurance, Dufresne reaffirmed that these mechanisms should ‘protect children within the digital world, not block their access to it.’ He concluded by stating that, if the Bill is adopted, his office stands ready to assist in developing and reviewing its implementing regulations to safeguard privacy and the interests of young persons.
