In R v Edwards, ¶49, Justice Cory of Canada's Supreme Court used these words to define privacy:
"The state or condition of being alone, undisturbed, or free from public attention, as a matter of choice or right; freedom from interference or intrusion.
"An important aspect of privacy is the ability to exclude others from the premises. The right to be free from intrusion or interference is a key element of privacy."
Privacy is often raised in the context of government collection or distribution of personal information. In this regard, these words of Justice Dickson in R v Duarte in a criminal case involving a wire-tap:
"Privacy may be defined as the right of the individual to determine when, how, and to what extent he or she will release personal information. A reasonable expectation of privacy demands that an individual may proceed on the assumption that the state may only violate this right by recording private communications on a clandestine basis when it has established to the satisfaction of a detached judicial officer that an offence has been or is being committed and that interception of private communications stands to afford evidence of the offence."
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