The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has joined over 30 data protection and privacy authorities worldwide in conducting the Global Privacy Enforcement Network privacy sweep from November 3 to 7.
Regulators will check websites and mobile applications geared toward and used by children to determine transparency on privacy policies, implementation of age assurance mechanisms, and use of privacy protective controls to restrict the collection of personal information. The sweep will be coordinated by the OPC, the United Kingdom Information Commissioner’s Office, and the Office of the Data Protection Authority of Guernsey.
The sweep is among several initiatives centered on children’s privacy rights advocacy, which is a strategic priority for Canada privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne.
“In this increasingly digital and data-driven world, we want to ensure that young people can develop in an environment that is safe. This year’s privacy sweep will shine a light on how organizations are designing digital services used by children and will support our ongoing work to ensure respect for children’s privacy rights,” he said in a statement.
Findings will be collated and released in a report in the next few months. This year’s sweep acknowledges the significance of the digital space for children and the risks to youth if online services are not designed with their best interests in mind.
"Young people are spending significantly more time on their digital devices and are much savvier online than the previous generation. Still, they may not always be aware of who is gathering their information and for what purposes," said Patricia Kosseim, Ontario's information and privacy commissioner, in a news release. "As regulators, we must do our part to protect them. By identifying risks that youth face online, we can hold organizations accountable, and ensure children remain safer and more empowered when using digital technologies".
The 2025 sweep is similar to the 2015 one, facilitating the comparison of the results from both sweeps. They are intended to boost awareness of privacy rights and responsibilities, drive compliance with privacy legislation, determine concerns that may be addressed through targeted education or enforcement, and improve cooperation between global data protection and privacy authorities.
The Global Privacy Enforcement Network links privacy enforcement authorities to champion and drive cooperation in the enforcement of privacy protection laws across borders. It has been holding global sweeps with different themes since 2013.
The OPC said it was developing a children’s privacy code to help protect youths’ personal information online and an age assurance guidance. In September, Dufresne was among a group of commissioners that jointly investigated TikTok.