Privacy concerns raised over new Compass Card system

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Concerns are being raised over who could be following your movements if you use TransLink’s new Compass card.

The BC Civil Liberties Association is worried about police or violent domestic partners accessing passengers’ information to track where a person goes.

Policy Director Micheal Vonn is recommending people use cash to buy single fare tickets so credit card transactions can’t be linked to the information that is stored on the new electronic cards.

“You can use the card to get your travel itinerary. Part of the problem is, so can other people if they have your card. The simple fact is, once you move to a card system, you are creating a data trail.”

The card doesn’t store people’s names or credit card information — just the value, financial history, serial number, and travel history. But Vaughn remains concerned that information could somehow be linked.

“The best you can do with the places that you need to use the Compass Card is to de-link it from your name, not using a credit card and purchasing your credits for the card in cash. What we need to ensure is that there is always, always, always, for people who have those security and safety concerns, a cash option.”

Vonn adds there issues surrounding the sharing or possible selling of trip information to other businesses or marketing companies.

“TransLink is governed by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. It’s the legislation that governs the public bodies in the province. It’s (TransLink) going to have a difficult time selling the information, because of that governance. That said, there is a concern about what boxes may be checked or not checked in terms of giving consent that you don’t realize you’re consenting to. So we need to keep an eye on what constitutes ‘secondary purposes’ – information that’s not collected for this purpose but is used for a different purpose passed on, sold, shared. We do need to be vigilant about that sort of thing, although it’s no part of the plan currently.”

In an email response, TransLink admits it’s aware of the privacy concerns but uses industry-standard security technologies and procedures to protect customers’ personal information. The transit authority adds the system follows strict privacy and security requirements of BC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Customers’ Compass Card transactions are kept on file for up to 15 months in data centres located in BC. More than 550,000 people are actively using Compass Cards, with approximately 270,000 Compass Cards tapped every day.

TransLink says it does not collect identifiable personal information unless a customer chooses to take advantage of “the many benefits that come with card registration, like AutoLoad, Balance Protection and printable transaction history for tax purposes.”