Carole Piovesan

Carole is managing partner at INQ Law, focusing her practice on privacy, cyber readiness, data governance and artificial intelligence (AI) risk management. She regularly counsels clients on a wide range of matters related to privacy, cyber readiness and breach response, data governance, ethical AI and responsible innovation. Prior to founding INQ Law, Carole was co-lead of the national Cybersecurity, Privacy and Data Management group at McCarthy Tétrault. She has represented clients before all levels of court in Ontario as well as at the Supreme Court of Canada.

Carole plays an active role in shaping data law, policy and standards in Canada and globally. She is the co-chair of the federal government’s Exposure Notification application. She also co-chairs the data governance working group for the Data Governance Standardization Collaborative at the Standards Council of Canada. She is a member of the Data Governance Working Group for the Global Partnership on AI, as well as an advisor to several AI start-ups.

In 2018, Carole was appointed by the federal Minister of Innovation to serve as one of six Digital Leaders in the national data and digital transformation consultations. In this role, she led consultations with businesses, academics, civil society and industry associations to inform the first national Digital Charter. Announced on May 21, 2019, the Digital Charter has led to significant proposed reforms to Canada’s federal private sector privacy law.

Carole regularly teaches, speaks and writes on topics related to data law and AI. She is also co-editor of the book, Leading Legal Disruption: Artificial Intelligence and a Toolkit for Lawyers and the Law, published by Thomson Reuters (2021)

Recent Experience

• Served as breach coach to assist clients during data breaches
• Developed GDPR compliance program for international delivery service
• Drafted privacy governance programs for various health technology companies and health associations
• Regularly provide legal opinions on matters of privacy and data security
• Developed data governance framework and AI ethics framework for provincial health authority

Insights & Recognition

• Co-editor, AI and Law (2021)
• Regulating automated decision systems in Canada: What it means for your business (2020)
• Privacy Law for the digital economy: The new Digital Charter Implementation Act (2020)
• 97 things about ethics everyone in data science should know
• Cybersecurity comparative guide Cyber breach planning: Lessons from the Equifax breach
• How privacy laws are changing to protect personal information Adjudicating by algorithm: The risks and benefits of artificial intelligence in judicial decision-making

Affiliations

• Covid Alert App Advisory Council (Co-chair)
• Canadian Technology Association of Canada (Board of Directors)
• Standards Council of Canada, Data Governance Working Group (Co-chair)
• Canadian Bar Association (Member)
• Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (Member)

Community involvement

• Provides pro bono legal services to VentureKids Canada