Photo: Nick Youngson, Alpha Stock Images
Earlier this month, the Ontario government announced that drivers would henceforth be able to show proof of insurance using their smartphones, a move intended for the convenience of motorists. Watchdog agencies, however, are warning drivers of the risks of using electronic proof of insurance, suggesting that you may not want to be so quick to hand your phone to a police officer.
Ann Cavoukian, executive director of the Global Privacy and Security by Design Centre and former privacy commissioner for Ontario, tells the CBC that the premise of handing an unlocked phone to a police officer raises a number of issues: “Your phone is not just a phone these days. It contains a massive amount of personal information that you may not want to share with others.”
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Brenda McPhail, the director of the Privacy, Technology, and Surveillance Project with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, suggests that it should be optional to use electronic proof of insurance. Fortunately, this is the intention — per the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario, insurers are not mandated to provide electronic options for drivers, thus ensuring that pink cards remain the standard.
The FSRAO also notes that providers offering electronic insurance cards must make the digital cards “able to be viewed utilizing lock screen capability. That is, the card must be capable of being ‘locked,’ either by design or by the policyholder activating the function and changing settings on their electronic mobile device if required.”
This mandate ensures that concerns about privacy will be lessened, but it is nonetheless essential that drivers know their rights and act cautiously before using electronic proof of insurance. Andrew Clement, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, tells CBC that a driver should not hand the phone over to an officer and that police should make it clear to drivers that they have the right to retain control of the phone.
During a one-year transition period, drivers will have to have their physical pink cards as well as an accompanying electronic version. After the period ends, either an electronic proof of insurance or a pink card will suffice.
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News Sources: CBC, FSRAO
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