In which our banks give whole new meaning to the word "teller."Depositing a cheque could see Canadians entered into a government database of suspicious financials based on the colour of their skin and the whims of the local teller, warns Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart, according to one of two new audits released today.
The commissioner audited the little-known Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) and found it was collecting more information that it is allowed to by law. In one case, an individual deposited a cheque from a law firm yet was entered into the database because of a notification by the bank.
“The institution was satisfied that the individual had provided legitimate reasons for the source of funds, but decided to notify FINTRAC anyway because of the individual's ethnic origin and the fact that his [sic] person had visited a particular country,” states a press release from the commission. [Emphasis mine]
Why bother with state surveillance when we can just report on each other? From bank to databank with the touch of a keyboard. From facecrime to skincrime in a mere quarter-century!
[H/t commenter Holly Stick].
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