Video Surveillance At Work: Key Takeaways From Québec's Latest Privacy Decision

On May 20, 2025, the Québec privacy regulator, the Commission d'accès à l'information (the CAI), issued a decision examining the legality of a wholesale pipe and valve distributor's (the company) use of an in-vehicle video surveillance system in company-owned vehicles.

The CAI found that the company's data minimization measures were insufficient and ordered the company to limit the images collected by the system to a limited number of seconds before and after an incident was identified, and to stop collecting images from inside the vehicles once the vehicles were turned off.

This decision reminds employers to evaluate alternative systems and specific data collection parameters to ensure that their monitoring systems have a minimal impact on employee privacy.