Integra Investigation Services and other agencies recognized by the Council of Private Investigators – Ontario (CPIO) possess Investigative Body status; what does this mean in regards to their ability to collect information about you and on your behalf? The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) governs how personal information is collected, used and disclosed by businesses in Canada. Developed to promote consumer trust in electronic commerce, PIPEDA incorporates and makes mandatory the provisions of the Canadian Standard Associations Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information.

Personal Information, as specified in PIPEDA, is as follows:

“…information about an identifiable individual, but does not include the name, title or business address or telephone number of an employee of an organization.”

The law gives individuals the right to:

• Know why an organization collects, uses or discloses their personal information
• Expect an organization to collect, use or disclose their personal information reasonably and appropriately, and not use the information for any purpose other than that to which they have consented
• Expect an organization to protect their personal information by taking appropriate security measures
• Expect the personal information an organization holds about them to be accurate, complete and up-to-date
• Obtain access to their personal information and ask for corrections if necessary

The law requires organizations to:

• Obtain consent when they collect, use or disclose their personal information
• Collect information by fair and lawful means
• Have personal information policies that are clear, understandable and readily available

Furthermore, Industry Canada requires that each private investigation company and private investigator in Canada be licensed, be members in good standing of a professional association that has a privacy code compliant with the CSA Model Code (such as the CPIO), and most importantly, have a corporate privacy code compliant with the CSA Model Code on which PIPEDA is based in order to be compliant with the legislation. Private investigator in Canada who meet these criteria are exempt from PIPEDA, allowing them to collect, use or disclose information as part of an investigation without compromising the rights of individuals or organizations. As a result, whether the information collected is about you or the subject of the investigation, rest assured that with Integra Investigation Services your information is in good hands.