Understanding The Protection of Personal Information

Some people believe that shredding or securely destroying your customers’ information is just the right thing to do.  The truth is that it is actually required by law.  There are three main laws that protect the information that is given to businesses in Canada and they are the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) and the Personal Information and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and The Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA).

So you may be wondering what you are required, as a business to do to comply? Or, what your rights are as a consumer to ensure the business I am sharing my information with are complying? Here is a snapshot of what PIPA covers and what you need to know as a business owner or a consumer:

Business Owner’s Must

• Have the consent of the consumer before they collect, disclose, or use personal information.
• The collection of information must be lawful and fair to the consumer.
• Have a personal information policy that is easy to understand and made clear to consumers.
• Express to consumers how their personal information must be used.
• Destroy or delete information that is no longer needed for the purpose it was originally intended.

A Consumer Can

• Know the reason for a business collecting your information.
• Expect the the company receiving your company will use the information reasonable and in the appropriate circumstance.
• Know the business that is collecting their personal information.
• Complain about how their personal information is handled.
• Expect that an organization will ensure your information is protected by taking the appropriate measures.

Whether from the size of the business or the consumer, it is clear that a plan must be in place to protect the security of personal information.  For many of BEST Shredding’s long-term and loyal customers, that has been a information protection plan which includes yearly shredding purge’s or a scheduled document shredding program.

If you would like to learn more about protecting your personal information, or the information of your customers visit www.bestshredding.ca in Vancouver or Victoria, www.calgaryshredding.com for Calgary or www.edmontonshredding.com for the Edmonton Area

We look forward to hearing from you!

For more information on PIPA visit: http://www.cio.gov.bc.ca/local/cio/priv_leg/documents/pipa/guidepipaview.pdf