What Is PIPEDA? How Does It Protect Your Privacy?

You have likely heard of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and you probably refer to this standard whenever the topic of privacy and data processing arises. But what about outside of the EU? The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (Commissariat à la protection de la vie privée du Canada) has a twitter account that shares information regarding privacy and an individual’s rights in Canada.

Printable educational poster

1. Think before you click!
2. Remember that things you post may not be private.
3. Know who your friends are.
4. Protect your privacy with passwords.
5. Respect your friends’ online footprints too.

PIPEDA in brief

The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). In French, this is “Loi sur la protection des reseignements personnels et les documents électroniques, which entered into law on 13 April 2000. Not only was this act implemented for Canadian consumers to trust e-commerce, but it was also enacted to reassure the EU that Canadian privacy laws protect the personal information of their citizens.

PIPEDA is defined by ten principles:

1. Accountability
2. Identifying purpose
3. Consent
4. Limiting collection
5. Limiting use, disclosure, and retention
6. Accuracy
7. Safeguards
8. Openness
9. Individual access
10. Challenging compliance

Customers will appreciate this transparency, as the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada notes on its website:

Your customers will appreciate doing business with an organization that shows a respect for their privacy rights. This appreciation can lead to a competitive advantage for your business. Organizations should see this as an opportunity to review and improve their personal information handling practices.

Full article