As the former Director of the Privacy, Technology and Surveillance Program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (on leave), Brenda is a long-time participant in a range of policy processes. As a researcher at a national, non-profit legal advocacy organization, her work has supported litigation at courts up to the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as legislative reform, and public education relating to the ways in which privacy rights are at risk in contemporary society. In her current McMaster role, she helps educate the next generation of policy people who will graduate with a deep understanding of the socio-technical implications of “going digital” across a range of policy settings and sectors.

She has appeared as an expert witness before Parliamentary and Senate committees regarding privacy law, national security, and biometric data, and serves as a member of the Advisory Council for the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. Her current grant-funded research projects include studies on workplace surveillance applications, media governance and AI, and virtual health care data privacy. Brenda received her Ph.D. from the University of Toronto Faculty of Information.

Kanika Samuels-Wortley is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology and Justice at Ontario Tech University and is currently a Visiting Fellow at the School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet) at Australian National University. Dr. Kanika Samuels-Wortley's research explores the intersection of race, racism and the criminal justice system. Her scholarship employs mixed-method critical race approaches to better understand how racial bias and discrimination impact Black and Indigenous peoples’ experience and perceptions of law enforcement in Canada. Kanika’s current research agenda explores the use of predictive policing technologies within Canadian law enforcement agencies and the role they may play in exacerbating racial inequities. She holds a BA (Honours) from the University of Toronto, MA from Ontario Tech University, and a PhD from the University of Waterloo.

Tim McSorley is the National Coordinator of the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group (ICLMG) coalition. His work focuses on advancing the coalition’s mandate to defend civil liberties in Canada from the impact of national security and anti-terrorism laws. This includes publishing research reports and policy briefs, engaging with the public, and advocating with lawmakers. Current priorities include emerging forms of surveillance; religious, racial and political profiling; government complicity in torture, abuse and mistreatment and the targeting of civil society organizations. Tim holds a BA in Journalism and Political Science from Concordia University in Montreal, and is the former coordinator of both the Media Co-operative and the Voices-Voix Coalition. He currently resides in Ottawa.

Daniel Konikoff is Interim Director of the Privacy, Technology & Surveillance Program at the CCLA. He oversees and executes advocacy strategies to reform privacy law, defend search & seizure rights, and monitor developments at the intersection of surveillance, technology, and national security. His work includes strategic litigation management, public outreach and education, and engagement with policymakers.
Daniel is completing his PhD at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies. He is completing his dissertation on the governance of police technology in Canada, and has taught undergraduate classes on the place of digital technology in the modern criminal justice system. Prior to his PhD, Daniel volunteered for the John Howard Society’s Centre of Research, Policy & Program Development, where he assisted with projects on bail reform and police record checks.