B.C. Insurance Council concerned about confidentiality breaches

The Insurance Council of British Columbia, which licenses and regulates the province’s insurance agents, salespersons and adjusters, says it is concerned about the number of breaches in confidentiality it has encountered over the last 12 to 18 months.
“Licensees handle and have access to a large amount of confidential information and their clients depend upon their discretion when providing such information,” Council chairperson Graham Calder wrote in a message posted on the council’s Web site. “Council has seen an increase in licensees who have accessed confidential information for personal gain or benefit.
“Council has a zero tolerance regarding any breach of confidentiality.
“In every case Council has reviewed, the licensee involved had his or her licence terminated.”
The chairperson’s message does not give any specific numbers as to how many breaches the council has witnessed over the past year.
In an October 2007 bulletin, the council reminded licensees about their obligation to protect privacy under the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA).
“Council requires licensees to hold in strict confidence all client information acquired during the course of their professional relationships, and not to divulge or use such information other than for the purpose of a particular transaction for which the information was obtained or of a similar subsequent transaction with the same client, unless expressly authorized by the client or as required by law,” the bulletin says.
In the same 2007 bulletin, under the ‘Council Decisions’ section, a licensee was suspended for at least two years for accessing the computer system of the province’s public insurer, the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, to obtain personal and confidential information about the registered owner of a vehicle. The licensee then relayed the information to a third party, who used the information to threaten the vehicle owner during a road rage incident.