January 28 was "Data Privacy Day" in Canada, and it was aimed to promote greater awareness of personal data protection. With data security on the minds of more individuals, now is an excellent time for business owners in Canada to familiarize themselves with some of the new and existing legislation that dictates proper practices regarding the issue.
A recent press release from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is designed to inform private sector companies of revisions to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on private sector privacy (PSP). The new MOU dictates a system of enhanced cooperation and collaboration between private sector organizations to establish superior policy, enforcement and education of how a company can best protect any sensitive data it may collect.
These revisions are meant to bring consistency to national and provincial regulations. Several provinces have passed their own privacy-related bills, including British Columbia's Personal Information Protection Act, Alberta's Personal Information Protection Act, or the nationwide Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Regardless of their location, every organization is required to "take reasonable steps to safeguard the personal information in their custody or control from such risks as unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, disposal or destruction," according to the department.
These steps include a self-assessment questionnaire that evaluates a business's privacy practices, only collecting sensitive data that is absolutely necessary for the business's operational purposes and most importantly using "elementary caution and common sense."
And of all the common sense practices Canadian businesses can deploy, hiring a certified shredding service or document destruction company is one of the most foolproof ways for a business to ensure it is in good standing with the law and effectively protect its clients' and employees' sensitive information.
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