Chatham-based Internet provider TekSavvy is on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars after taking what it calls "significant steps to protect its users' privacy rights."
Those costs are related to a request from Voltage Pictures to provide personal information related to accounts Voltage alleged had been used for illegal downloading.
TekSavvy's Chief Legal Officer Bram Abramson says they feel they aren't being fairly compensated for respecting the privacy of their customers.
"We took the position that one of the things we're required to do is to keep users in the loop, make sure they know what's going on," says Abramson, adding this may have a chilling affect on anyone who wants to protect privacy. "What the court basically said is you get the narrow costs of having looked up certain information, but the cost of protecting privacy interests just isn't on here."
The Federal Court ruled this week that TekSavvy can only recover about $21,000 of the $350,000 the company says resulted from its committment to protecting user privacy.
