Ontario's new high-security drivers' licences jeopardize the privacy of motorists who use them to cross the U.S. border, warns Information and Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian.

Electronic signals from the licence cards – which use a radio frequency identification chip that transmits a number identifying the licence holder to border guards – could be picked up by unauthorized parties and users' whereabouts "covertly surveyed," she said in her annual report released yesterday.

Cavoukian is calling on Transportation Minister Jim Bradley to have the chips in the cards modified with on-off switches so that they can be turned off when drivers are not presenting them to border guards.

Bradley said the cards come in a protective sleeve that stops the signal and noted the manufacturer of the chips is not yet able to produce them with on-off switches, so Cavoukian's wish cannot be met "at the present time."

The new licences are voluntary and will be required identification for crossing the U.S. border by land or sea starting June 1, unless travellers have a passport or Nexus card.

In her report, Cavoukian noted the protective sleeve only works when the new licence card is placed in it, and that cardholders may find themselves using it at locations, such as stores, other than the border, increasing privacy risks.

"Most of the time, the EDL (enhanced driver's licence) will function as a driver's licence when driving within Ontario – and pulled in and out of one's wallet countless times ...," she warned.

"The reality is that most drivers will abandon the use of the protective sleeve, which does not fit easily into the slots found in most wallets." With an on-off switch on the cards, holders could turn the switch on only when they got to the border, Cavoukian added.

The province is now accepting applications for the new enhanced-security licences. They cost $40 on top of the regular driver's licence fee of $75.