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The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (abbreviated PIPEDA or PIPED Act) is a Canadian law relating to data privacy. It governs how private-sector organizations collect, use and disclose personal information in the course of commercial business. In addition, the Act contains various provisions to facilitate the use of electronic documents. PIPEDA became law on 13 April 2000 to promote consumer trust in electronic commerce. The act was also intended to reassure the European Union that the Canadian privacy law was adequate to protect the personal information of European citizens.

PIPEDA incorporates and makes mandatory provisions of the Canadian Standards Association’s Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information, developed in 1995.

“Personal Information”, as specified in PIPEDA, is as follows: information about an identifiable individual, but does not include the name, title or business address or telephone number of an employee of an organization.

The law gives individuals the right to

• know why an organization collects, uses or discloses their personal information;
• expect an organization to collect, use or disclose their personal information reasonably and appropriately, and not use the information for any purpose other than that to which they have consented;
• know who in the organization is responsible for protecting their personal information;
• expect an organization to protect their personal information by taking appropriate security measures;
• expect the personal information an organization holds about them to be accurate, complete and up-to-date;
• obtain access to their personal information and ask for corrections if necessary; and
• complain about how an organization handles their personal information if they feel their privacy rights have not been respected.

The law requires organizations to

• obtain consent when they collect, use or disclose their personal information;
• supply an individual with a product or a service even if they refuse consent for the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information unless that information is essential to the transaction;
• collect information by fair and lawful means; and
• have personal information policies that are clear, understandable and readily available.

Though the Act requires that affected organizations comply with the CSA Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information, there are a number of exceptions to Code where information can be collected, used and disclosed without the consent of the individual. Examples include for investigations related to law enforcement or in the event of an emergency. There are also exceptions to the general rule that an individual shall be given access to his or her personal information.