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The Competition Bureau has confirmed that it launched an inquiry into the data collection practices of the federal Liberal, Conservative and New Democrat parties, in response to a complaint from the Centre for Digital Rights (CDR) an organization founded by businessman and tech advocate Jim Balsillie.

According to a letter provided to the media by the CDR, on Oct. 25, Deputy Commissioner of Competition Josephine Palumbo said that the Bureau was investigating an allegation that the major political parties had made deceptive statements to the public within their privacy policies. On Wednesday, the Bureau confirmed it was looking into the allegation and that it is currently gathering facts, but could not comment further on the case.

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The Competition Bureau case is one of the five legal complaints that the CDR has made to various regulatory enforcement agencies in Canada, calling for action when it comes to political parties’ use of citizens’ private data. Similar complaints were sent to the federal Privacy Commissioner, the B.C. Information and Privacy Commissioner, the Commissioner of Elections Canada and the Chief Enforcement and Compliance Officer of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.