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.

Friday, May 30, 2008

IRS employee charged after snooping through stars' returns and records 

The Smoking Gun is reporting that an IRS employee is being charged with a misdemeanor offence after having been found to have looked at hundreds of celebrities records "out of curiosity".

IRS Worker Snooped On Stars - May 30, 2008

MAY 30--An Internal Revenue Service employee snooped on the tax records of about 200 celebrities and athletes, confessing to investigators that he accessed the confidential material out of "curiosity." John Snyder, a 56-year-old tax examiner from Cincinnati, was named this month in a misdemeanor criminal complaint charging him with accessing the computerized accounts of "at least 202 taxpayers," almost all of which were Hollywood figures, sports stars, and "well-known Cincinnati-area individuals." According to the U.S. District Court complaint, a copy of which you'll find below, Snyder used the agency's Integrated Data Retrieval System to examine the accounts of stars like Alec Baldwin, Kevin Bacon, Portia De Rossi, Chevy Chase, Vanna White, Sally Field, Penny Marshall, John Cleese, and the directors Joel and Ethan Coen. According to the complaint, when confronted by federal investigators, "Snyder confessed to making the...unauthorized accesses, stating that he did so out of curiosity." (3 pages)

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