64 – Privacy Laws and Collection Agents

When it comes to privacy, organizations are required to follow federal and provincial legislation which prohibits the use of personal information in an inappropriate or unreasonable manner. As part of the federal private sector, The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) determines proper conduct by organizations throughout Canada. Differently, The Privacy Act covers the personal information handling practices of the federal government itself.

Our guest today is Vance Lockton, Senior Analyst for Stakeholder Relations at the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.  Vance explains that the Privacy Commissioner, Daniel Therrien is an officer of Parliament and reports directly to the House of Commons and the Senate, and is independent of the government in place. Vance details the laws in place for debt collectors, how investigations under the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada are conducted and provides advice for listeners for protecting your personal information.