Can you post dashcam video online in Ontario?

Generally, yes. Recording what happens on a public road from your own car is common in Ontario, and drivers post clips every day. The risks come less from the video and more from what you add to it. This is general information, not legal advice. If you're worried about a specific clip, talk to a lawyer.

Privacy

Canada's federal private-sector privacy law, PIPEDA, doesn't apply to an individual collecting or sharing personal information only for personal or domestic purposes. That doesn't mean anything goes. Ontario courts recognize privacy lawsuits for deliberate and significant intrusions into someone's private life. The leading case, Jones v. Tsige (2012), was about someone repeatedly looking at another person's bank records, not a dashcam, but it shows privacy claims exist here.

A car driving on a public road is a different thing from someone's home or private records. Still, a clip can show more than driving: faces, kids in a back seat, a house number, someone's workplace. Cut or blur what isn't needed to show the driving.

Defamation

Defamation is publishing something that harms a person's reputation. Truth is a defence, but you'd have to prove it. That's why the safest posts stick to what the video shows.

• Fine: "Silver SUV changes three lanes without signalling on the 401 near Keele."
• Risky: "This guy was clearly drunk." "She does this every day." "Owner is a known criminal."

The video can show a car weaving. It can't show that the driver was impaired, who was driving, or what kind of person they are. Leave those claims out.

How to post carefully

• Post only video you recorded yourself.
• Blur or cut faces, including the driver's and any pedestrians'.
• Don't name anyone, and don't post addresses, workplaces or social media accounts, even if you think you know them.
• Describe what happened in plain terms: date, place, what the car did.
• Don't edit the clip to change what it seems to show, and keep the original file.
• If police are investigating, ask them before you post.
• If you get a complaint that something in your post is wrong, take it seriously.

A licence plate is how a post on BadDriver.ca is found, so plates stay visible here. That's also why our posting rules ban faces, names and addresses, and why every report is shown as an unverified claim.

Report first, post second

Posting a clip doesn't get anyone a ticket. If the driving was serious, report it to police first. See how to send dashcam footage to police in Ontario. Then, if you like, post it on BadDriver.ca so other drivers can look up the plate.