Philippe Dufresne, federal privacy commissioner, has announced the nine research projects covered by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s (OPC) 2026–27 contributions program funding cycle, with the theme “Achievement unlocked: protecting privacy while online gaming.”
“The digital entertainment landscape continues to evolve rapidly, with streaming platforms, online multiplayer games, mobile games, and interactive communities being a part of everyday life for many Canadians, particularly teens,” Dufresne said in a news release.
The OPC noted that the chosen projects aim to improve knowledge in connection with the collection and use of personal information within the online gaming world, as well as to further the office’s efforts to protect and promote privacy amid swift technological change.
“The selected research projects will help to deepen understanding of the privacy implications of online gaming and bring awareness to businesses of their privacy obligations,” Dufresne said.
Funding recipients
According to the OPC, the 2026–27 contributions program funding cycle plans may pay out the following requested amounts:
- $97,500 to Digital Moment for “Achievement Unlocked: A National Applied Privacy Literacy Intervention in Online Gaming Ecosystems,” which aims to assess youth understanding of commercial gaming data practices to design educational resources
- $94,481.20 to MediaSmarts/HabiloMédias for “Achievement Unlocked? Young Canadians’ Privacy and Consent in Online Gaming”
- $59,825 to Western University for “That AI-Generated Character? Maybe NOT Your Best Friend!” which seeks to address the privacy implications of artificial intelligence-generated non-player characters (NPCs) to minimize privacy risks during gamer-NPC interactions
- $58,650 to Dalhousie University “It’s All Fun and Games (Until)”
- $54,172.30 to the Canadian Shield Institute for Public Policy for “Privacy Protection from Exploitative Algorithmic Pricing in Online Games,” which aims to analyze the privacy-related harms arising from algorithmic pricing
- $48,702.50 to the University of Ottawa’s Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) for “Leveling the Playing Field: The Privacy Implications of Kernel-Level Anti-Cheat Surveillance in the Canadian Gaming Market”
- $44,275 to York University for “A Harm Reduction Approach to AI Safety in Canada: The Case of AI-Driven Privacy Harms”
- $33,934 to the University of Toronto for “Turning the Privacy Gaze on the Use of Eye Tracking in Online Gaming,” which seeks to analyze online games’ collection and use of eye tracking data
- $16,155 to the Fédération québécoise de sports électroniques (FQSE) for “Protecting the privacy of young Canadian players: Awareness and education on data protection issues in electronic sports,” which aims to delve into the privacy risks of data collection within the esports and online gaming ecosystem
More on contributions program
The OPC explained that the contributions program targets independent privacy research and initiatives that develop novel ideas and approaches for organizations to safeguard personal information and for Canadians to make informed decisions on the protection of their privacy.
Organizations approved under the program can get as much as $200,000, while individual projects can receive $100,000 at most.
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