Remembrance, Privacy & Freedoms — Canada’s Privacy Vacuum
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1. The Short Version (Before We Dive Into the Tall Grass)
Canada killed its long-promised consumer privacy reform bill…
then immediately introduced new police surveillance powers…
and is still trying to push those powers through under a different name.
The result?
A privacy vacuum big enough to drive the CP Holiday Train through.
And inside that vacuum, your data, your habits, and your digital footprint are all more vulnerable than they were this time last year.
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2. What Actually Happened in 2025 (The Non-Politician Version)
Bill C-27 (the good one)
This was supposed to be Canada’s long-awaited upgrade to PIPEDA — children’s data protection, real penalties for companies, clear disposal rules, actual rights for Canadians.
It died when Parliament was prorogued in early 2025 and was never re-tabled.
Bill C-2 (the bad one)
Instead of reintroducing privacy protections, the government brought forward
the Strong Borders Act — a 140-page omnibus bill containing:
• new warrantless data “information demands,”
• lowered legal thresholds (“suspect” instead of “believe”),
• data-sharing pathways with U.S. agencies and international partners,
• gag orders for anyone served with a demand,
• and immunity incentives to encourage companies to hand info over.
This bill stalled — but not because the government backed down.
Bill C-12 (the camouflage one)
When C-2 caught fire in the news, the government split it into a new bill.
C-12 removed the most controversial surveillance powers so it would pass faster.
The surveillance parts?
They’re still sitting in C-2, waiting for the right political moment.
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3. The Consequence: A Privacy Vacuum Canadians Are Living In Right Now
You’ve heard us say “Who watches the waters?”
Well — this is the part where the waves get bigger.
Canada now has:
1. No modern corporate privacy law (C-27 died).
2. New attempts to expand state access powers (C-2).
3. A splinter bill (C-12) that still expands surveillance and reduces migrant rights.
4. International agreements being negotiated that would let foreign agencies request your data directly.
That’s the vacuum.
A place where your data is less protected than it should be, and the government is simultaneously trying to gain more ways to request it.
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4. “Okay… but what does this have to do with me?”
More than you’d like.
This affects:
• Small businesses
• Families
• Anyone using smart tech
• Anyone using cloud services
• Anyone crossing a border
• Anyone storing data with a company headquartered in Canada
Why?
Because the government is trying to access data held by companies —
and those companies are still regulated under 2000-era PIPEDA,
which has no meaningful penalties and weak consent rules.
Your information is sitting in a legal vacuum —
and the state is building tools to reach into that vacuum more easily.
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4.1 Cloud Storage — A Quick Reality Check
If you’re wondering how exposed your files really are, here’s the short version — graded the same way we handled it last time.
A+ — Sync.com (Zero-Knowledge, Canadian)
There are no settings that meaningfully reduce privacy here.
It’s private by default.
You hold the keys — not them.
A — Proton Drive (Zero-Knowledge)
Great for privacy.
Not Canadian, otherwise it would tie for A+.
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B — OneDrive (Hardened / Best Settings)
This is OneDrive after you lock it down.
Requires:
• Personal Vault ON
• MFA ON
• Sharing set to “Specific People Only”
• No auto-backups of sensitive folders
• BitLocker ON (helps if your device is stolen — but does not protect OneDrive files from Microsoft)
Pros:
• Good local-device protection
• Good sharing control
• Ransomware recovery is decent
• Predictable, widely supported
Cons:
• Microsoft still holds the cloud encryption keys
• BitLocker does not encrypt OneDrive against Microsoft or government requests
• Metadata always visible
• AI/telemetry risk depending on Windows settings
Verdict:
B — Safe enough for families and small business if hardened.
Great for local protection.
Not private from Microsoft or anyone Microsoft must legally cooperate with.
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D — OneDrive (Default Settings)
This is the version 90% of Canadians are using.
Problems:
• Personal Vault OFF
• MFA missing
• Wide-open sharing defaults
• Microsoft retains full access to all cloud-stored files
• BitLocker (even when ON) offers zero extra cloud privacy
• Metadata always visible
• Smart features + AI scanning risks
Verdict:
D — Fine for school assignments.
Not fine for tax documents, ID scans, or anything sensitive.
Convenience first, privacy last.
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C — Google Drive (Best Settings)
More secure with:
• MFA ON
• Require sign-in for sharing
• No public links
• Disable “smart features” & personalisation
Still not zero-knowledge.
Google retains access to content and metadata.
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F — Google Drive (Default)
Assume your files may be machine-scanned.
High convenience, low privacy.
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F- — Dropbox
There are no settings that significantly improve privacy.
Historically scanned content; still metadata-heavy.
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✔ Rule of Thumb
If you hold the encryption keys → safer.
If they hold the keys → not private.
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5. What You Can Do (Right Now)
We keep this practical at Rainbow Computers, so here’s the non-lawyer, non-campaign version:
✔ Check your data permissions.
Every device. Every app. Every “optional” feature.
Smart bulbs, TVs, streaming boxes, doorbells, fridges — they all report something.
✔ Review your accounts.
If a company doesn’t need certain info, reduce what it has.
✔ If you don’t like your settings changing, check monthly.
Quarterly at absolute minimum.
Some updates reset settings.
Some don’t ask permission at all.
✔ And yes — you can copy/paste the Terms of Service into ChatGPT or Gemini
Ask: “How does this affect my privacy?”
Let the machine dig through the legal jargon.
Heck, you can even tell it to explain the results in the personality of your favourite TV lawyer for entertainment flourish — “Denny Crane.”
✔ And stay tuned.
Next, we’ll break down:
• Quebec Law 25
• Whether it protects you even if you don’t live there
• And how far its reach actually goes for everyday Canadians
Rainbow Computers — New Tecumseth.
Serving families and small businesses for over 30 years.
We drop 1–3 new articles a week.
If you need help understanding, securing, or locking down your devices — call us first.
Next article will be on Quebec Law 25.
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