CA · Law
Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (S.C. 2000, c. 5)
PIPEDA is Canada's federal private-sector privacy law. Organizations that collect, use or disclose personal information in the course of commercial activities must follow the ten fair-information principles in Schedule 1 (accountability, identifying purposes, consent, limiting collection, limiting use/disclosure/retention, accuracy, safeguards, openness, individual access, challenging compliance) and may only do so for purposes a reasonable person would consider appropriate. It has no AI-specific provisions, so AI uses of personal data are governed through these principles and OPC guidance.
Key dates
- Consolidation current to
- Last amended
Selected provisions
Appropriate purposes s. 5(3)
An organization may collect, use or disclose personal information only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances.
Accountability Schedule 1, Principle 4.1
An organization is responsible for personal information under its control and must designate an individual accountable for compliance, including for information transferred to thir…
Knowledge and consent Schedule 1, Principle 4.3; s. 6.1
Knowledge and consent of the individual are required for collection, use or disclosure of personal information except where inappropriate; consent is valid only if the individual c…
Safeguards Schedule 1, Principle 4.7
Personal information must be protected by security safeguards appropriate to its sensitivity (physical, organizational and technological), including against loss, theft, unauthoriz…
Openness Schedule 1, Principle 4.8
Organizations must make information about their personal-information policies and practices readily available in an understandable form, including a contact for inquiries.
Individual access and correction Schedule 1, Principle 4.9
On request, individuals must be told whether the organization holds their personal information, be given access to it and an account of its use and disclosure, and be able to chall…