Canada and the U.S. are expected to announce a new agreement Wednesday intended to ease border congestion and better co-ordinate security.

A new system of exit controls is the key feature of a proposed Canada-U.S. border deal. (CBC) However, some critics have voiced concerns about the security of Canadians' private information in the deal.

One of the new features of the Beyond the Border agreement is a new system of exit controls. For the first time, information collected by U.S. officials from travellers leaving Canada would be shared with Canadian customs.

The same would apply to travellers entering Canada from the U.S. -- Canadian customs would collect the information and automatically pass it along to their American counterparts as exit data.

Canada's privacy commissioner urged the government must make sure any information shared with the U.S. is protected against abuse and dealt with according to the privacy protections required under Canadian law.

"Any mistake can have grave consequences, including stranding travellers at airports or branding them as terrorists," said Jennifer Stoddard.

As well, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association called for clear appeal procedures if the two countries move to shared watch lists like the no-fly list.

Are you worried about information sharing with the U.S. under the new border deal? Let us know what you think.



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