Marie-Paule Scott Commemorative Scholarship Awarded to Ms. Jennifer Barrigar

Mr. Robert D. M. Owen, Chair of the Council of Canadian Administrative Tribunal’s Public Outreach Committee, is delighted to announce that Ms. Jennifer Barrigar, a Doctorate of laws candidate at the University of Ottawa, is this year’s recipient of the Marie-Paule Scott Commemorative Scholarship offered by CCAT.

The scholarship consists of a bursary of $1,000 and an invitation to present a paper on the subject to her thesis at a future CCAT conference.

A description of the research project for which she has been awarded this commemorative scholarship follows:

Protecting Privacy in Cyberspace: 

Finding the “Identifiable Individual” Online

Canadian privacy law focuses on personal information about an “identifiable individual.”  However, as Canadians increasingly interact online, a new tension is added to identity through our developing understanding that personas may be created and performed virtually. Formal federated identity projects allow users to manage what personal information they make available about themselves and to whom.  Informally individuals manage their online interactions by deliberately fragmenting their identities, creating environment-specific entities/personas.

This project will explore whether the current Canadian privacy regime sufficiently addresses the implications of online identity creation and management and will work to develop a framework within which to protect online privacy in an appropriately nuanced way. 

Biographical notes

Jennifer is an Honours B.A. graduate (English and Women’s Studies) of Carleton University and received her LL.B. from Dalhousie University in 2001.  She joined the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada as an articling student in 2001 and remained there as Legal Counsel until August 2006.  During her time at OPC, Jennifer also completed an LL.M. at University of Ottawa, re-viewing Canada’s federal private sector privacy law and its potential as a transformative rights instrument.  

In addition to her work at the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Jennifer has interned at the Electronic Privacy Information Centre in Washington D.C. and worked as a research assistant in a variety of areas, including health law, privacy law and comparative constitutional issues. 

Academic Awards & Distinctions

2006 Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP Fellowship in Technology Law

        University of Ottawa Doctoral Admissions Scholarship

2001 Muriel Duckworth Award

1994 Herzberg Scholarship

Selected Publications

“I Want You to Want Me:  The Effect of Reputation Systems in Online Dating Sites” (February 2007) Blog*on*Nymity at http://www.anonequity.org/weblog/archives/2007/02/i_want_you_to_want_me_the_effe.php - more

“Let’s Not Get Psyched out of Privacy:  Reflections on Withdrawing Consent to the Collection, Use and Disclosure of Personal Information” Jennifer Barrigar, Jacquelyn Burkell, Ian Kerr. (2006), 44 C.B.L.J. 54. (peer reviewed)

“Soft Surveillance, Hard Consent” Ian Kerr, Jennifer Barrigar, Jacquelyn Burkell and Katie Black.  Personally Yours:  OBA Privacy Law Section Newsletter Vol. 6, No. 4, June 2006.

“Hollaback NYC:  Sites of Resistance, Sousveillance and Street Harassment” (May 2006) Blog*on*Nymity at http://www.anonequity.org/weblog/archives/2006/05/hollaback_nyc_sites_of_resista.php

“PIPEDA:  Private Sector Privacy Legislation”, Intuit Pro Connection July 2005.

March 5, 2007