Notice and Consent Guidelines

D) Recommended First Steps

D1) Review your Web site's Privacy Notice

It's a good idea to familiarize yourself with your Web site's general Privacy Notice outlining your Web site's overall privacy practices.

D2) Review specific Privacy Notice Statements from other channels

If the program or service is also available off-line, you should review its privacy statement to ensure it is consistent with the Privacy Notice Statement. To the extent possible, they should have the same or consistent wording. Also consult the description of the collection of personal information that appears in InfoSource. The purposes for which personal information is being collected should be described in a manner similar to that in InfoSource.

See the InfoSource Web site at:
http://infosource.gc.ca/Info_1/index-e.html

See the model privacy notice statement at E1 of this document.

D3) Consult your Privacy coordinator

Your Privacy coordinator should review all Privacy Notice Statements before they are posted. The coordinator will be able to assess compliance of each Privacy Notice Statement in relation to Government of Canada privacy requirements.

Among those requirements may be a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA). Under Treasury Board policy, federal institutions must conduct a PIA for all new Government of Canada programs and services that raise privacy issues.  PIAs are also mandatory when programs or services are substantially redesigned, transformed to a different service channel and in some cases for existing programs or services. These assessments are used to review privacy measures and identify steps of corrective action if needed. The PIA summary of results should also appear on your Web site and ideally a link should be made to it from the Privacy Notice Statement.

Learn more about PIAs:
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pubs_pol/ciopubs/pia-pefr/siglist_e.asp

D4) Consider privacy training

It's a good idea to ensure familiarity with privacy issues. Due to the high importance of privacy and security issues on the Internet, webmasters in particular should consider privacy training for themselves and their staff.  Similarly, privacy officials should consider training on issues related to security and confidentiality in an on-line environment.

To get started, consider the PIA e-learning tool that provides an excellent overview of privacy issues:
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pgol-pged/index_e.asp

In addition, the Web site of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has an easy-to-use introductory resource section on important privacy issues.

Privacy Commissioner of Canada:
http://www.privcom.gc.ca/fs-fi/index_e.asp

D5) Fraud

If you are concerned that false or misleading applications may be made by pranksters or others with ill intent then consider the use of stronger security technologies and consulting departmental legal advisors. In addition, your online application forms (as well as those in print) can include the following statement:

Section 403 of the Criminal Code of Canada makes it an offence to impersonate another person for advantage, property gain or disadvantage of another person.

Section 430 (1.1) makes it an offence to obstruct, interrupt or interfere with the lawful use of data.