Some of Jonathan Obar's work referenced in this article received funding from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, the Social Science

Consumer Privacy Protection Act could lead to fines for deceptive designs in apps and websites

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2023-03-15 16:00:10

Some of Jonathan Obar's work referenced in this article received funding from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and York University.

Canada’s proposed Consumer Privacy Protection Act (CPPA) prohibits online consent processes that are deceptive or misleading.

Companies may face fines for breaking the act’s rules. This could be trouble for social media platforms, online shopping companies and other services that use deceptive user interface designs in their apps and websites.

The CPPA is a component of Bill C-27, described by the federal government as an attempt to improve Canadian privacy law and ensure responsible use of personal information and artificial intelligence by companies.

The possibility of fines for deceptive or misleading consent processes suggests the government views consent as fundamental to personal information protections. As a result, companies may be held accountable for deceptive user interface designs associated with app and website consent processes.