It’s a severe case of snooping, and it’s raising eyebrows at the Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commission.
The commission recently released two reports of entities abusing their credentials to access private documents.
Saskatoon police prying
Three police officers were found to be snooping for personal information in the Saskatoon Police Service’s (SPS) records management system, according to the report.
The report released on Aug. 27 by Ronald Kruzeniski found the officers looked through this information for personal and non-business-related reasons.
In October 2023, a superintendent of the SPS requested the service’s Access and Privacy Unit to conduct an audit to see if there had been inappropriate access to an investigation file.
The report highlights that the personal information involved in the breach included general identifying information such as names, home address and phone numbers as well as information relating to criminal history and police involvement, and licence plate numbers.
In total, the report says that nine people were affected.
“Our service takes the protection of private information seriously and conducts annual training and periodic audits to ensure compliance,” SPS said in a statement. “We recognize there is still work to be done and we are committed to honouring the recommendations made by the Commissioner.
Kruzeniski said in the report that the SPS proactively reported the privacy breaches and made a reasonable effort to notify the people affected by sending registered letters.
SPS confirmed anyone who had their information accessed has been informed.
Snooping pharmacy student
In a different report from the privacy commission, a pharmacy student from the University of Saskatchewan was caught looking through the medical records of 114 people at his Regina internship.
The student’s placement at the Hill Avenue Drugs pharmacy started in May and lasted until June.
Saskatchewan’s privacy commissioner said the student was found going through the records of people not under the student’s care by another pharmacy employee and included recognizable names within the province.
According to the pharmacist on site, the student was overheard saying to himself, ‘Oh he is still alive?’ while looking up the classified information of a patient. He was escorted off the site the following day.
While hills pharmacy declined to comment, the University of Saskatchewan responded to the incident in part.
“As part of the PharmD program, USask’s College of Pharmacy and Nutrition ensures students receive training regarding confidentiality and reinforces the importance of the protection of health and other personal information throughout every year of the program,” the statement reads.
“Students also sign a confidentiality agreement each year before they begin their practical training.
“USask takes these matters seriously and is working with partner organizations to ensure appropriate procedures are followed. The student will be subject to the university’s internal disciplinary processes.”
The individuals whose records were inappropriately accessed have been notified.