31 March 2025

Centre for Digital Rights

Non-profit

Our work and projects

POLICY
ONGOING

Canada’s Privacy Regulation

CONSUMER PRIVACY – The federal government of Canada is attempting to modernize private-sector privacy laws for the second time. It’s also creating AI regulation. CDR has concerns about these proposals and is urging policymakers to make serious amendments.

Research
Ongoing

The Regulatory Capture Lab

Capture in Canada – Regulatory capture happens in a wide range of industries, from oil and agribusiness to finance. Big Tech is no different. The Regulatory Capture Lab studies this capture in collaboration with FRIENDS and with support from McMaster University’s Master of Public Policy in Digital Society program.

Research Tool
February 2021

The Digital Rights Archive

A trove of research for digital policy – How should we think about the platforms run by Big Tech? What role does technology play in democracy? In infrastructure? In “smart” cities? CDR works with The Syllabus to launch a digital rights archive.  

Testimony
28 May 2019

International Grand Committee

Data is the new plutonium – Today, surveillance capitalism threatens markets, democracy and personal autonomy. Data, says CDR founder Jim Balsillie, is not the new oil—it’s the new plutonium.

Research
May 2019

National Data Privacy Survey

The party state of mind – What do Canadian voters think of federal political parties using their personal information outside the purview of privacy laws? CDR finds out by commissioning a survey.

View survey

Research
Ongoing

The IXmaps Research Project

Do you know where your data has been? – A map of all the places your data goes when you connect to the Internet and start browsing—from Canada to the United States and the NSA. A project led by researchers at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Information.

Capacity Building
Summer to Fall 2018

Community Grant Program

Ideas for Grassroots Capacity — A data-driven society raises questions of sovereignty, prosperity, equity, justice, and more. In 2018, CDR provided grants to community groups that address these questions and more. A project run by Digital Justice Lab and Tech Reset Canada.

LEGAL CAMPAIGN
Spring 2018 to 2022

Privacy and Political Parties

The political data dilemma – Should the Canadian federal political parties compile massive and detailed databases on voters and their likely political allegiances? CDR seeks an investigation by filing a quinfecta of legal complaints.