Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)

The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) is Canada’s main federal law that seeks to protect users’ privacy rights. PIPEDA governs how private-sector organizations collect, use, and disclose personal information during commercial operations.

Companies that fall under the provisions of PIPEDA must comply with the following requirements:

• Appoint a chief privacy officer (CPO) responsible for your company’s compliance with the regulation.
• Maintain personal information policies that are clear, understandable, and readily available with the types of data you collect, the third parties you share it with, and any potential risks for the individual.
• Obtain an individual’s consent to collect, use or disclose personal information. However, note that PIPEDA’s consent rules aren’t as restrictive as those in the GDPR.
• Only collect the personal information needed to satisfy the specified processing purposes.
• Supply an individual with a product or a service even if they refuse consent unless the information is essential to the transaction.
• Ensure the collected and maintained personal data is accurate, complete and up-to-date. Allow the individual to review the correctness and completeness of the data.
• Protect personal information using security measures proportional to the sensitivity of the data.
• In the case of a personal information breach, report it to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, notify the affected individuals, and keep a record of the breach.

Lately, the Canadian authorities have taken steps to make their law better aligned with data protection regulations worldwide. Canada has proposed new bills to reform the privacy law and enact the Consumer Privacy Protection Act (CPPA).

Learn more about PIPEDA and CPPA:
PIPEDA & CPPA: How the Canadian privacy laws impact your analytics [Updated]