Privacy Guide for Businesses

Revised: October 2020

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has developed this guide; available in accessible PDF format (1.9 MB) to help you live up to your responsibilities under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

It contains a summary of what PIPEDA is and what the Act applies to. It outlines your responsibilities as a business, such as following the ten principles on which PIPEDA is based as well as meeting your obligations regarding meaningful consent and privacy breach requirements. This guide also presents a brief overview of our advisory services for businesses.

Your customers will appreciate doing business with an organization that shows respect for their privacy rights. This appreciation can lead to a competitive advantage for your business. Organizations should see this as an opportunity to review and improve their personal information handling practices.

Note: On June 18, 2015, the Digital Privacy Act received Royal Assent. The Act introduced a number of amendments to the PIPEDA.