Installing computer programmes without consent now illegal : CRTC

The federal government has made it illegal for a business to install software or a computer program on your machine, without your consent.

Under the new requirements, for example, it is now illegal for a website to automatically install software on a visitor’s computer or for an app on a mobile device to be updated without first obtaining consent.

The CRTC has the primary enforcement responsibility and is able to investigate, take action against and set administrative monetary penalties against those who are not in compliance.

These new requirements, which are effective immediately, are part of Canada’s anti-spam legislation adopted by Parliament that came into force on July 1, 2014 designed to protect Canadians while ensuring that businesses can continue to compete in the global marketplace.

“We have been actively informing Canadian businesses about the new requirements for installing computer programs and our goal is to ensure they comply with these new rules”, said Manon Bombardier, CRTC chief compliance and enforcement officer, in a statement. “We continue to work to protect Canadian consumers from spam and online threats and want to remind Canadians of the importance of reporting spam to the Spam Reporting Centre.”

Agencies/Canadajournal