What The Supreme Court's Latest Privacy Ruling Means For Business

The Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in R v. Reeves, 2018 SCC 56 (Reeves) has broad privacy law implications, despite it being decided in the criminal law context. The majority of the Court ruled that when two people share a personal computer, one person can’t consent to its search or seizure on behalf of the other person.

What You Need To Know

• The Court’s ruling in Reeves has implications in the business context where organizations rely on an individual’s consent to collect, use or disclose personal information on behalf of their spouse or household. For example, where organizations rely on an employee’s or customer’s consent to provide benefits to their spouse or common law partner or to handle household information for statistical, data analytics or marketing purposes, they should consider whether the form of consent captures all individuals whose information may be processed.