Government tackles corporate privacy concerns in new cybersecurity legislation

The Canadian government has committed to addressing concerns over corporate privacy in a proposed cybersecurity law. The legislation would require designated critical infrastructure providers to have cybersecurity plans and report security breaches to the Communication Security Establishment (CSE), which oversees government networks. The bill, known as C-26, would only cover a few critical sectors initially, including banking, telecommunications, interprovincial pipelines, and energy providers. Sami Khoury, head of the Cyber Centre, told the public safety committee that the government was aware of privacy concerns raised by stakeholders and said that protecting confidential information was a key consideration in the legislation. The bill would also require designated operators, such as banks and utilities, to establish and implement cybersecurity programs, report incidents to the CSE, and comply with cybersecurity directives.