British Columbia’s privacy watchdog is investigating the province’s decision to remove public access to the online B.C. Government Directory.
B.C.’s government had maintained some form of directory of public employees for decades. The online directory allowed anyone to find the names, titles and contact information for public employees. The province abruptly removed public access to it on Aug. 18, citing cybersecurity risks and employee privacy concerns.
The directory’s former home page now directs users to a general page to search for government services.
Information and Privacy Commissioner Michael Harvey said his office is looking into the security risks and the loss of transparency associated with the decision.
He acknowledged in a statement that the security risks must be taken seriously.
“However, completely removing public access to the directory without a functional replacement is a very serious transparency issue, which contributes to an erosion in the public’s trust in our democratic institutions. Our public service must have a human face,” said Harvey.
The Ministry of Citizens Services said the directory was removed after advice from law enforcement partners, including the RCMP. It said the provincial government fends of hundreds of cybersecurity attacks each day, and artificial intelligence tools are making it easier to harvest public information and target individuals.
The ministry said it will provide an updated directory page that includes senior executive contact information for all government ministries, while a list of media contacts for each ministry remains publicly available.
The B.C. Conservatives said the decision to remove public access to the directory makes it harder for taxpayers to hold government accountable.
“The NDP government has a track record of keeping British Columbians in the dark,” said Jody Toor, shadow minister for government services. “There are ways to protect privacy and security without shutting down public access altogether. This isn’t about privacy. It’s about making government less transparent and less accountable to the people it serves.”
B.C. Green MLA Rob Botterell said the removal of the directory came as a surprise.
“The public directory has been sort of a foundation for access to information and public servants for a long time,” said Botterell.
Botterell said he is not minimizing the seriousness of cybersecurity threats, but questioned whether there could be a better solution than taking down the directory.
“Is there a way to solve this that involves keeping the directory up, but equipping employees within government with various strategies and approaches to protect them?” he said. “[The commissioner] balances privacy and openness on a daily basis, so I’m hopeful that the report he provides will provide us a roadmap with some options.”
Botterell, who played a role in drafting B.C.’s 1992 freedom of information (FOI) legislation, said the move follows a trend of the NDP government limiting access to information in recent years.
He cited as one example amendments to B.C.’s FOI legislation passed earlier this year, which were criticized by the Greens and B.C. Conservatives for weakening B.C.’s freedom of information and privacy laws.
“There’s a clear trend away from open, accountable, transparent government here that’s emerging,” he said.
