In 2000, the Canadian government enacted PIPEDA, a comprehensive legislation aimed at protecting individuals’ personal information in the digital age. As an essential piece of Canadian privacy law, PIPEDA sets out guidelines for private sector organizations to manage and safeguard personal information.
Key Principles At its core, PIPEDA is built upon eight fundamental principles:
Accountability: Organizations must designate a Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) or equivalent position responsible for ensuring compliance with PIPEDA. Identifying Purposes: Before collecting personal information, organizations must specify their intended use and obtain consent from the individual. Consent: Individuals have the right to provide informed consent before an organization collects, uses, or discloses their personal information. Limiting Collection: Organizations can only collect personal information necessary for the specified purpose. Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention: Personal information must be used, disclosed, or retained only as required to fulfill its intended purpose. Accuracy: Organizations are responsible for ensuring that the personal information they hold is accurate, complete, and up-to-date. Safeguards: Organizations must implement safeguards to protect against unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, disposal, or destruction of personal information. Openness: Organizations must be transparent about their personal information practices, including how they collect, use, disclose, and retain personal information. Protections for Individuals PIPEDA provides several protections for individuals, including:
...