Official wants names stricken from records

OTTAWA, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Canada's privacy commissioner is calling for an end to displaying the identities of individuals in court documents for public view.

Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart wants personal information removed from judges' decisions and case information posted on the Internet, the Toronto Star reported Wednesday.

She suggests using people's initials rather than their names, the newspaper reported.

"The open court rule, which is extremely historically important, has now become distorted by the effect of massive search engines," Stoddart said.

Stoddart said the proposed changes will be part of a report this fall aimed at overhauling the federal Privacy Act.