Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act governs how private sector organisations collect, use, and disclose personal information in the course of commercial activities. PIPEDA applies to organisations operating in Canada and those handling data of Canadian residents.
What is PIPEDA?
The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) is Canada's federal private sector privacy law, in force since 2001. It governs how private sector organisations collect, use, and disclose personal information in the course of commercial activities, and is enforced by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC).
PIPEDA is based on 10 fair information principles derived from the Canadian Standards Association Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information. It applies to organisations operating in Canada and those outside Canada that handle personal information of Canadian residents in the course of commercial activities.
Canada is currently modernising its privacy law through Bill C-27, which would replace PIPEDA with the Consumer Privacy Protection Act (CPPA), introducing stronger rights and higher penalties. Organisations should prepare for this transition now.
Compliance requirements
PIPEDA compliance is structured around 10 fair information principles that govern how organisations handle personal information.
An organisation is responsible for the personal information under its control and must designate someone accountable for compliance.
The purposes for collecting personal information must be identified at or before the time of collection.
Knowledge and consent of the individual are required for collection, use or disclosure, except where the Act provides otherwise.
Collection is limited to what is necessary for the identified purposes, and must be by fair and lawful means.
Personal information must not be used or disclosed for other purposes without consent, and is retained only as long as necessary.
Personal information must be as accurate, complete and up to date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is used.
Personal information must be protected by security safeguards appropriate to its sensitivity.
An organisation must make its policies and practices relating to personal information readily available.
On request, an individual must be told of the existence, use and disclosure of their information and be given access to it.
An individual must be able to challenge compliance with these principles to the accountable person in the organisation.
Audit process
Netru manages the complete PIPEDA compliance journey, from mapping your personal information flows through to ongoing monitoring and OPC liaison support.
We map all personal information flows involving Canadian residents, identifying collection points, processing activities, and third-party disclosures.
We assess your current privacy practices against PIPEDA's 10 fair information principles, producing a prioritised remediation roadmap.
We design your PIPEDA compliance programme, including policies, procedures, and governance structures.
We implement required controls, draft privacy notices, establish individual access request workflows, and build your evidence library.
We support your designated Privacy Officer with ongoing compliance guidance and OPC liaison.
We provide ongoing monitoring, annual reviews, and support for access requests and regulatory enquiries from the OPC.
How Netru delivers it
Our team combines deep knowledge of PIPEDA's 10 fair information principles with practical compliance delivery. We map your data flows, implement controls, and provide ongoing Privacy Officer support, helping you demonstrate compliance to Canadian regulators and customers.
Talk to our teamBefore you talk to anyone