Brenda McPhail

Director of the Privacy, Technology & Surveillance Program for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association

Dr. Brenda McPhail is the Director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association’s Privacy, Surveillance, and Technology Program. Her work supports CCLA’s litigation, advocacy and public education efforts. This includes guiding interventions in key court cases that raise privacy issues, such as the Supreme Court of Canada cases R. v. Marakah and R v. Jones, which confirmed privacy rights in electronic communications. Her research agenda concentrates on the social implications of technology, including, most recently, digital surveillance including facial recognition, AI and human rights, and data trusts. She’s a member of the Canadian federal advisory council for the COVID Alert exposure notification app.