SURREY — The president of Surrey’s chapter of Creep Catchers is undeterred by a privacy commission investigation based on a complaint he says was lodged by the lawyer of a subject his organization “blasted” on social media.
Ryan LaForge’s organization aims to weed out “potential predators” by posing as children online, arranging to meet adults who think they’ve been communicating with a child, confronting them, filming them and then posting the videos on Facebook.
“No matter what, we’re not taking the videos down,” LaForge said. “That would defeat the whole purpose of what we’re doing.”
Jane Zatylny, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Information and Privacy Commission, confirmed the commission is conducting an “active investigation” after receiving a complaint but said she “can’t really discuss any details.”
Zatylny said that under B.C.’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), an investigation can result in an organization being ordered to stop the collection, use and disclosure of personal information.
Individuals who fail to comply with an order made by the commissioner under the Act could be hit with a fine under $10,000 and “other than an individual, to a fine of not more than $100,000.”
tom.zytaruk@thenownewspaper.com
