I read with great interest Shelley Samel’s column ‘Privacy law: what you need to know,’ (Strategy, Dec. 15/03).

Your readers should clearly understand, however, that in cases where personal information may be shared with a third party, organizations are not obligated by law to disclose to the individual, at the point of collection, what information is being shared or to whom. This information may be presented later, provided the consumer is given a reasonable opportunity to opt-out prior to any disclosure.

One of our great frustrations with past findings of the federal privacy commissioner is a failure to distinguish between the legal requirements of the Act and what may be deemed best privacy practices.

CMA will continue to work with Canada’s new federal privacy commissioner and her provincial counterparts to make certain that those responsible for applying this country’s privacy regulations fully understand the marketing fundamentals that support informed consumer consent and disclosure.

Our work in this regard is far from over.

John Gustavson, president and CEO, CMA, Toronto