Loblaw bread card rollout criticized

Loblaw Companies Ltd. isn’t providing details as to why some Canadians have been singled out with requests to hand over additional personal information to secure their $25 gift card related to the alleged bread price-fixing scandal.

Customer outrage has fomented online as Canadians take to Twitter to express privacy concerns about the company’s decision to ask some to provide a scan of their driver’s licence or utility bill in order to receive the card. Some have also commented on the perceived irony of Loblaw’s apparent fraud prevention measure, given that the gift cards are a gesture of apology for deceiving the public. “Wait. #LoblawsON wants me to send a scan of my driver’s licence to prove I am who I say I am to get that $25 gift card?? Wasn’t it you guys who committed the fraud,” tweeted a user with the handle Paul D’Hondt.

Such concerns are shared by privacy experts including Ann Cavoukian, expert-in-residence at Ryerson University. “It is so outrageous. First of all, they’re at fault, they’re doing this to correct their misbehaviour,” she said.

She said a copy of a driver’s licence should not be requested for a gift card meant to appease customers for wrongdoing, given the card contains a licence number, photo, signature and other personal details.

“They’re asking you to give them a copy of your drivers licence, which is the ultimate for identity theft.”

Cavoukian said there were 1.1 billion cases of identity theft globally in 2016 and it’s expected that number could double for 2017, so companies and individuals need to increase their vigilance around personal identification.