Opening Keynote

David Fraser is a partner with McInnes Cooper, working with a range of private and public sector clients to implement compliance programs for Canadian privacy legislation. He regularly provides opinions related to Canadian privacy law for both Canadian and international clients and is a frequently invited speaker on this topic. He is the author of the popular Canadian Privacy Law Blog (blog.privacylawyer.ca).

David is widely recognized as one of Canada’s foremost experts on privacy law and other legal issues associated with cloud computing. He regularly advises vendors and customers in connection with implementing cloud computing projects, in both the public and private sectors (including the health and education sectors). David is particularly known for his ability to cut through the rhetoric often associated with cross-border outsourcing to implement clear risk-based assessment of such projects.

In addition, David is the Past President of the Canadian IT Law Association and the former Chair of National Privacy and Access Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association. David was honoured to be included in the inaugural (2006) and each subsequent edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada in the category of Information Technology law. He is listed among the world’s leading lawyers in Internet and eCommerce Law in the International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers. In the spring of 2006, David was a recipient of an Outstanding Young Canadian Award by the Junior Chamber of Commerce International - Halifax Chapter. In 2009, David was named as one of Canada’s “Top 40 Lawyers Under 40” by Lexpert.

He is a member of the faculty of Dalhousie Law School, where he teaches Internet and Media Law, Law and Technology, and Law and Policy for Electronic Commerce. He is on the editorial board of the Canadian Journal of Law and Technology. Active in the Halifax technology community, David is secretary and director of advocacy for Digital Nova Scotia, the IT industry association of Nova Scotia.