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Developers of Hybrid Tracking Techology, Partners With MedicAlert Foundation to Provide 24/7 Protection

7/31/2013

VANCOUVER, BC (July 31st, 2013) — Blackridge Solutions, Canadian distributor of the Personal Safety device developed by eTtrak, the smallest and most reliable GPS enabled device on the market, announced today a partnership between eTrak and MedicAlert Foundation, the leading emergency identification and medical information network, that brings about a cutting-edge safety device for consumers. The partnership combines eTrak’s GPS+Hybrid Technology with MedicAlert’s medical identification and information network, as well as their 24/7 Emergency Response Services, giving users the power to stay connected to their loved ones at all times.

“Our partnership with MedicAlert is very significant in the growth of eTrak,” said John Harris, CEO of eTrak. “The service that MedicAlert provides gives our users the constant support of an entire emergency network, including 24/7 emergency response and access to emergency medical information records. It is invaluable for the peace of mind it gives eTrak users.”

Using eTrak’s proprietary GPS+ Hybrid Technology, users can follow the movements of loved ones wearing the device – which may be children, adults, aging parents or individuals with special needs – correspondingly, device wearers can reach out to their caregivers by pushing the device’s alert button in the event of an emergency. The small device sends, pinpoint location tracking alerts directly to the users’ smartphone or computer. eTrak’s partnership with MedicAlert also allows protection to be provided even when the user is not near their phone or computer; if emails, messages and phone calls go unnoticed, MedicAlert will contact local authorities to check on the tracked person at any hour of the day or night.

“For us, it’s a perfect partnership,” said Andrew Wigglesworth, CEO of MedicAlert Foundation “MedicAlert GPS + Essential adds an exciting new element to our service line, combining the most technologically advanced GPS on the market today with the most dependable safety network to locate loved ones experiencing an emergency or who may have become lost.”

The partnership also allows police and first responders to have access to electronic health records for the tracked person, alerting them to conditions that may be relevant to their safety.

eTrak’s patented technology combines Wi-Fi mapping, cell tower triangulation and GPS for the most accurate location positioning. It enables a caregiver to draw a boundary circle around multiple addresses, creating a protective perimeter for their loved one. If the 1” x 2” device travels beyond the safety circle, it will automatically send emails and text messages to preprogrammed cellphones and computers alerting them of the device location. eTrak is powered by the Verizon Wireless network

www.BlackidgeSolutions.com

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B.C. Privacy Commissioner: Engine Monitoring Technology Reasonable

7/11/2013

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Date: April 16, 2013

A pair of decisions – one applicable to private-sector organizations and one applicable to the public sector – that effectively authorize employers to use global positioning systems (GPS) and other technologies to remotely monitor their employees have been released by the Office of the Information & Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia. The adequacy of each employer's privacy policy and whether or not employees were properly notified of the purposes for the collection, use and disclosure of the personal information played a central role in both decisions.

In Schindler Elevator Corporation, the employer installed GPS and engine monitoring technology in all service vehicles used by its field mechanics to travel to and from their homes and work sites. The vehicles are kept at the mechanics' homes while not in use for work purposes, and the mechanics do not report to a centralized office as part of their usual routine. The employer's purposes for collecting and using the information collected included managing employee performance, productivity, hours of work, and to ensure safe and lawful driving.

The Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (the Commissioner) ultimately found that the employer's actions were reasonable and authorized under B.C.'s private-sector legislation, the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). In coming to this conclusion, the Commissioner took an expansive view of what constitutes "personal information". She also took and expansive and practical view of the circumstances in which employers will be authorized to collect and use employee personal information. The Commissioner emphasized the collection and use has to be reasonable and the assessment of what is reasonable in these types of cases includes: "whether the personal information is of a sensitive nature", "how much employee personal information is being collected and used", "whether the collection, use or disclosure in question is likely to be effective in fulfilling the organization's objectives", "whether there are alternatives", and "whether the personal information has been collected covertly".

The Commissioner identified the following factors that led her to the conclusion that the employer's actions were authorized: (1) the employer had an appropriate privacy policy that had sufficient detail in it; (2) the employer had given its employees notice of the purposes for its collection and use of the information; (3) the employer was not using the technology to continuously monitor employees; and (4) the information being collected was overwhelmingly related to workplace activities.

Two months after the release of Schindler, the Commissioner released her decision in University of British Columbia, where the employer installed similar technology to the technology in Schindler for the purposes of monitoring its on-campus security patrol vehicles. UBC was decided under the B.C. Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), which applies to public bodies (public schools, Crown corporations, government ministries, etc.) in B.C.

Notwithstanding that she was reviewing a different statutory framework, the Commissioner adopted the same expansive approach to the interpretation of what constitutes "personal information" as she outlined in Schindler. She also found that UBC's monitoring activities were authorized under FIPPA because they directly related to UBC's program of campus security, the employees were not continuously monitored, and the information derived from the monitoring technology was not particularly sensitive. Although UBC's monitoring program was authorized by FIPPA, UBC did not have an adequate privacy policy and failed to provide proper notice of its intended purposes for implementing and using the technology. UBC was ordered to stop collecting, using or disclosing personal information derived from this program until it properly complied with FIPPA's notice provisions.

Both Schindler and UBC show that technologically advanced employee location monitoring can be authorized under PIPA and FIPPA, provided the collection, use and disclosure of the personal information is reasonable and employees are properly informed about the intended purposes for the collection, use and disclosure of the personal information. In order for employers (regardless of which privacy statute applies) to ensure that their collection, use, and disclosure of this type of information does not run afoul of the relevant privacy legislation, it is incumbent upon them to have a properly drafted privacy policy containing appropriate limits on collection, use, and disclosure and to clearly articulate the intended purposes to their employees in compliance with the notice provisions under the applicable statutes.

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Forest Harvesting Fatality Update: BC Region - 2013

7/4/2013

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So far in 2013, the BC Forest industry has experienced an unusually high number of fatal injuries. There has been six (6) already this year and twenty-nine (29) in the past three and a half years.

This active industry continues to explore ways to help minimize risk and ensure a safer working environment for their employees. But due to economics and man-power shortages, there are many situations whereby employees are required to work alone. Although not all tasks are considered high risk and do not require more than one individual to perform, the danger of an employee working in a remote location by themselves outside of cell coverage is heightened.

Last month Delorme introduced a new product called the inReach SE Satellite Communicator. This device provides an SOS Emergency button, along with the ability to perform two-way messaging to any cell phone or email address. With 100% global coverage, an employee can be anywhere in the world and be able to communicate back to their head office, to their manager or to other employees. A simple Check In button allows employees to quickly and easily confirm that they are okay and provide work alone safety compliance.

With new technology likes this now available, it is now safer to go in to the woods alone!

Contact Blackridge Solutions today (sales@blackridgesolutions.com) to learn more about the inReach SE.

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Developers of Hybrid Tracking Techology, Partners With MedicAlert Foundation to Provide 24/7 Protection

B.C. Privacy Commissioner: Engine Monitoring Technology Reasonable

Forest Harvesting Fatality Update: BC Region - 2013

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