Somewhere along the line Canadians developed an almost pathological paranoia about the U.S. PATRIOT Act but this post isn’t about that legislation. No, it’s about the new American kid on the block: the Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act* (“FATCA”). It actually makes one feel sorry for financial institutions and other organizations affected by this legislation.

Privacy has become less valued by society than in previous eras. Whether it’s security, convenience or the seemingly inevitable march of technology, we talk of “managing” privacy; of the balancing of business needs with individual interests; of data being the new currency; of generational change in attitudes; all ultimately leading one down the road of […]