Tim Hortons app stirs up controversy
The Tim Hortons mobile ordering app is being investigated by Canadian privacy authorities after The Financial Post addressed concerns that the app may be tracking and collecting data on people's movements as they go about their daily activities.
Earlier this month, the newspaper reported on the app's use of geolocation technology, which enables the app to monitor a user's whereabouts and digital activities, even if the app has been shut down.
The Post reporter discovered the app was recording a log of his every movement, and transmitting the data back to Tim Hortons.
According to a press release from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, British Columbia, Quebec, and Alberta will join the federal investigation. The OPC will examine whether Tim Hortons is in compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), Canada’s federal private sector privacy law.
It goes on to say, the OPC will look at whether the organization is obtaining meaningful consent from app users to collect and use their geolocation data for purposes which could include the amassing and use of detailed user profiles, and whether that collection and use of the data is appropriate in the circumstances.
The parent company of Tim Hortons and Burger King launched the app in 2017. The OPC says that since it is now an active investigation, they cannot provide any additional information.