The Office of the Privacy Commissioner is enforcing stricter guidelines for any businesses planning to collect, use and share personal information.
A December 21, 2018 notice on the commission’s website says starting January 1, 2019, the commissioner will apply guidelines based on the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act on how businesses ask for personal information.
Guidelines now include businesses having to clearly explain why they are asking for personal information, how they are going to use it, who the information will be shared with, and any risks or harms a person may face by sharing the information, the notice says.
“The new guidelines clarify requirements for obtaining meaningful consent under PIPEDA by setting out more specific expectations on how the law should be interpreted and applied,” the notice says.
“The practical actionable advice will assist organizations to comply with their privacy obligations. It will also help Canadians to understand their privacy rights under the law, and what they can expect from businesses that request their personal information.”
The office said it made the decision after public consultations on consent over the past few years “highlighted how technological innovation is posing challenges for privacy protection and consent, eroding consumers’ trust in the digital economy.”
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