MPs Probe NATO Suspect’s Screening as Privacy Commissioner Says Past Fraud Finding Could’ve Been Shared
MPs are questioning how a Canadian national accused of spying while interning at NATO obtained security clearance despite a previous finding of fraud in a federal hiring process. The concerns came as Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne told a parliamentary committee that existing privacy laws do not generally prevent federal departments from collecting or sharing information as part of security screening.
TL;DR
- MPs are questioning how a Canadian national accused of spying while interning at NATO obtained security clearance.
- This scrutiny follows a previous finding of fraud in a federal hiring process for the same individual.
- Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne stated that existing privacy laws generally permit federal departments to collect and share information for security screening.
- The individual, Biwei Zhang, was arrested in Belgium in July in connection with espionage allegations related to her NATO internship.