网络：轻松摧毁隐私堡垒
Privacy barrier crushed by invisible net
在加国，各人隐私受隐私法保护。各人隐私信息一般都是保密的，在没有本人同意的情况下不能随便透露給第三方。隐私法适用于所有私人企业，机构，政府部门，医疗系统等。
In Canada, personal information is protected by the Privacy Act. They are confidential and cannot be released to a third party without consent. Privacy policies apply to all private companies and institutions, government agencies and health care providers.
大多数与客户直接打交道的询问中心的服务人员都要遵守这些隐私保护规定。任何有损于这些政策的行为，比如将客户私人信息透露给未经授权的第三方，都会令违纪雇员遭到严重惩罚。
Undoubtedly, most call centre agents, who directly deal with the clients -- are required to follow these privacy rules strictly. Any action that breaches the policies – such as releasing client’s personal information to unauthorized third parties – may incur serious consequences to the employees.
但这些旨在保护客户隐私信息的政策，也会令那些为不讲英语的家人代办事宜的人士带来想象不到的麻烦。我就是一名遭家庭成员委任的“代办”。为我81岁的老母管理她日常生活中的“商业事宜”的我，在代办过程中遇到了许多让人心烦而气恼的麻烦。
However, these policies – which intend to tighten up information control for clients – may also present challenges to those who act as a trusted proxy for non-English speaking family members. I am one of those trusted proxies. I am often frustrated by the level of bureaucracy as I take care of the personal affairs of my 81 year old mother.
老实说，我的承认我很钦佩这些问询中心的办事员，他们建立起一堵信息高墙，鼎立捍卫我母亲的隐私，从来不让向我这样的人士得到她的信息，除非我选择执行一项冗长繁琐的程序，并最终被指定为我母亲的法律“代办”。
Indeed, I have to admit that I admire the call centre agents who erect an information barrier and rigorously guard my mother’s privacy, never allowing someone like me from getting it, unless I choose to go through a lengthy and tedious process that eventually result in me being legally assigned as a proxy.
许多情况下，我被堵在信息高墙之外，在这些隐私规定前俯首就擒。我被迫按照他们的指令行事，首先填好“代办”表，然后拿给我母亲，求她签字……当我最终被成功指定为她的“代办”后，当时所咨询的信息也完全过时，所有这些努力当然就白费了。
Many times, I lost the battle in front of these barriers and have succumbed to the privacy barriers. I was forced to follow their instructions – by carefully filling out the representative form and bringing it to my mother and then nagging her to sign it. By the time that I’ve been granted access, the original inquiries have become outdated and obsolete. It’s nothing but a headache and a waste of effort.
上周，我母亲申请更新她的枫叶卡，从下载表格到将最终申请寄出，我则成为这一申请的全权代办。当然了，我掌握了她的全部个人信息，从她的申请号码，到她的出生日，以及她的全部移民史。毫无疑问，没有人比我更清楚我母亲的个人隐私信息，包括她自己在内。但是当我拿起电话询问她的申请状况时，却遭到了拒绝。
Last week, my mother applied for her Permanent Resident Card renewal, and I took care of the whole application process – from downloading the form, to couriering the completed application. Of course, I have access to all her personal information – from the application ID to her date of birth and her immigration history. Undoubtedly, no one, including my mother herself, knows the information better than I do. However, when I phoned Immigration Canada to seek information on her application status, I was rejected.
加拿大移民局问讯中心的办事员Tony向我问道：“在我向你透露任何信息之前，我有些隐私问题要向你询问…….你的生日为何？”
“Before I give out any information to you, I have to ask some security questions… What is your birthday?” asked Tony, the Immigration Canada’s call centre agent.
虽然回答这一问题对我来说易如反掌，但却总是让我最头痛的问题之一。尽力模仿一个81岁老人的声音不是我的长项伎俩，不管我装的多象，还是很容易被对方识破。
Although I know the answer to this question by heart, it has always been the most challenging one for me. Despite my attempt to imitate a senior voice, it is difficult to convince Tony that I was an 81 senior.
我不得不承认我是在为我母亲咨询信息。
So I had to admit that I was seeking the information for my mother.
“对不起，我不能把你母亲的个人信息透露给你。”
“Sorry, Ma'am, I am unable to give out the information about your mother to you.”
在告诉他我母亲因不讲英语而无法与他直接交流后，他的回答丝毫没有改变：
After telling him that my mother was unable to ask the information directly because she didn’t speak English, the answer remained the same:
“对不起，我实在没法帮你…… 我可以把代办申请表的网络地址发给你。”
“Sorry, there is nothing I can do to help you, Ma’am… I can send you a link to the proxy form online.”
我想再试试运气，主动提出可以为他与我母亲见的对话提供翻译服务，但这却得到了适得其反的效果：
I pushed the envelope further by offering to help translate the conversation between him and my mother, but it has only caused him to dig in deeper.
“我没法向你提供信息……我不想丢掉我的工作。”
“Again, I can’t give that information to you… Ma'am, I don’t want to lose my job.”
这下子事情可变得严重多了，危及到他的工作。我没有什么选择，只好挂掉电话，气恼不已。谁也没有我更应该得到这些信息，但我却被完全拒之门外。
It sounded very serious. The agent Tony’s job was on the line. I had little choice but to hang up, frustrated. No one deserves the information more than I do, but I was depleted of any chance.
但我却不肯罢休，下决心与这种官僚作法抗衡到底。我想进一切可能的办法，跳过这堵信息保护墙，且这一次，我真的成功了。
But I was defiant, and determined to fight the red tape. I often tried to find every possible way to get around this barrier, and this time I finally succeeded.
我找到了移民局的信息网站，让申请者了解其申请状况信息，这一功能令我兴奋不已。
After I found a CIC’s website that allows applicants to access information about the application status, I was thrilled.
在这一网站上我如鱼得水，游刃有余。三下五除二，我很快就填满了网站所要求填写的所有有关申请的个人信息。几秒钟后，从何时收到申请，到何时处理完毕等有关申请状况的所有详细信息在网站上显示出来，让我一览无余。我立即把这些信息告诉我母亲，告诉她她的新卡已经被寄出了，不久就会收到。
I felt so much ease with this online service. I quickly punched in all of her personal information that I remembered by heart. Within seconds, I had everything printed out – from the time the application was received to the time it was processed and the time completed. I rushed to my mother telling her that her new PR card must be in the mail.
我把那张刚刚打印出来的代办申请表扔进了垃圾筒，一丝快感浮上心头。
As I threw the proxy form into the garbage, a deep sense of relief washed over me.
我深深地吐了一口气,同时脸上露出一丝讽刺笑容。原来，如此坚固的隐私壁垒竟如此轻易的被那张看不见的网络摧毁，而那个问讯中心的办事员Tony还在洋洋自得地陶醉于“某种成就感”中。
I felt justified. Meanwhile, a sardonic smile was put on my face as I realized that a so called solid privacy barrier was so easily crushed by an invisible net, while Tony, the call centre agent was still profoundly proud of his “integrity”.