A warning on privacy,

In the sci-fi thriller Minority Report, advertisers target consumers by scanning their irises as they walk by. The scans are connected to data files of private information so complete that the advertiser can actually address passing pedestrians by name.

We’re not there yet. But Bell Canada’s so-called “Relevant Advertising Program” certainly gives cause for concern. Luckily, it alarmed the privacy commissioner of Canada as well, after he received an unprecedented 170 complaints about the program.

And this week Daniel Therrien issued a welcome report slamming the telecommunications giant for not seeking consent from each of its customers to create personal files that Bell used to help advertisers target them. He also threatened to take Bell to Federal Court if it did not comply with his recommendation.

In all, it was a much-needed shot across the bow of Bell and other companies that might infringe on customers’ privacy rights.

And it worked. After fighting the privacy commissioner for a year on the issue, Bell promised to obtain consent. It claimed it was doing so because it is “dedicated to protecting customer privacy.”

In fact, Bell’s targeted advertising program was downright creepy in how deeply it invaded customer privacy to sell information to thirdparty advertisers.

For example, the media giant tracked the Internet browsing habits of its customers — which other companies such as Google and Facebook also do. But Bell’s could combine browsing information with customers’ app usage, TV viewing, calling patterns and account information, such as age range, gender and average revenue per user. Initially, Bell was even including customers’ credit score information in the files.

The reports on customers were so detailed that the privacy commissioner found that even though Bell was not disclosing personal information directly to its advertising clients, advertisers could still link the information obtained to actual Bell customers with other tracking methods.

The commissioner’s determination on this issue doesn’t benefit Bell customers alone. He has made it clear he won’t wait for complaints now, but will monitor “other organizations that are engaged in . . . this type of activity, including the wider telecommunications sector.” That’s a relief.

Companies tempted to inappropriately use new technologies that allow them to compile vast amounts of personal information on their customers have been forewarned: They must give customers a clear choice to “opt in” to these invasive advertising programs. Otherwise, they need to butt out.