The Canadian Privacy Law Blog: Developments in privacy law and writings of a Canadian privacy lawyer, containing information related to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (aka PIPEDA) and other Canadian and international laws.

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The author of this blog, David T.S. Fraser, is a Canadian privacy lawyer who practices with the firm of McInnes Cooper. He is the author of the Physicians' Privacy Manual. He has a national and international practice advising corporations and individuals on matters related to Canadian privacy laws.

For full contact information and a brief bio, please see David's profile.

Please note that I am only able to provide legal advice to clients. I am not able to provide free legal advice. Any unsolicited information sent to David Fraser cannot be considered to be solicitor-client privileged.

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The views expressed herein are solely the author's and should not be attributed to his employer or clients. Any postings on legal issues are provided as a public service, and do not constitute solicitation or provision of legal advice. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained herein or linked to. Nothing herein should be used as a substitute for the advice of competent counsel.

This web site is presented for informational purposes only. These materials do not constitute legal advice and do not create a solicitor-client relationship between you and David T.S. Fraser. If you are seeking specific advice related to Canadian privacy law or PIPEDA, contact the author, David T.S. Fraser.

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

French privacy law on your front page, and you might not have noticed 

Confusion about the condition of PLO leader Yasser Arafat has been all over the media, with varying reports he is dead, dying, in a coma, on life support, off life support, dancing about, etc. One thing that has hardly been mentioned is that much of this confusion is because of France's data protection legislation. Under the French law, hosptials are not able to disclose information about patients without the consent of the individual concerned or their next of kin. In the case of Arafat, he is unable to consent so his wife, Suha Arafat, controls the flow of any information related to her husband, giving her an important and valuable bargaining chip in her dealings with the rest of the Palestinian leadership. See:

VOA News - Palestinian Officials Check Arafat's Condition:
"... It is still unclear what is wrong with Mr. Arafat. French privacy laws give his wife, Suha, the right to withhold medical information about his condition. But Mr. Shaath suggested his three-year detention in his West Bank office contributed to Mr. Arafat's illness...."

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