ARE YOU PREPARED WITH THE NEW PRIVACY LEGISLATION? Posted February 19, 2004 In our fast moving day-to-day lives, the creation of the Internet gave us access to information about the world around us, which supposedly made our lives easier. But, as the information barriers have been broken down, the protection of individual privacy has come to be questioned. The new "Personal Information Protection Act" (PIPA) came into effect in January 2004. It outlines how businesses and organizations in Alberta should handle the personal information of customers and employees. PIPA is something that will affect anyone doing business. The Act regulates corporations, unincorporated associations, trade unions, partnerships and individuals running their own businesses. Federal government privacy legislation called "Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act" (PIPEDA), is also to take effect this year. This will apply to federally regulated industries and transactions crossing Alberta borders. According to the legislation, the purpose of the Act is to govern the collection, use and disclosure of personal information by businesses/organizations. The purpose is to consider the right of an individual to have his/her personal information protected. In an effort to help businesses deal with the change, a list of websites is listed to give you more information: www.assembly.ab.ca/probills/ba-bill.asp?selectbill=044 www.oipc.ab.ca www.oipc.ab.ca www.oipc.ab.ca The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner is the regulatory body for the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the FOIP Act), the Health Information Act (HIA) and the Personal Information Protection Act (Private Sector Privacy). The Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) is in force as of January 2004. The purpose of PIPA is to govern the means by which private sector organizations handle personal information in a manner that recognizes both the right of an individual to have his or her personal information protected and the need of organizations to collect, use or disclose personal information for purposes that are reasonable. The Olds & District Chamber of Commerce is pleased to offer a Power Point Presentation explaining the Privacy Act on their website. The presentation was made by Elizabeth Denham, Private Sector Lead. Please click the link and enjoy the presentation. If you do not have Power Point, please visit the OIPC website (Personal Information Protection Act). There is lots of very good information there for businesses. You can also read "A Guide for Businesses and Organizations on the Personal Information Protection Act". This publication covers the major rules in the Act and demonstrates how businesses can operate to comply with those rules. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this Guide in PDF format. Click Here to get Adobe Acrobat Reader. Check back often as we will be showcasing articles of importance about existing and proposed privacy legislation. Olds and District Chamber of Commerce Phone 403-556-7070 ... Fax 403-556-1515 P.O. Box 4210, Olds, Alberta, Canada, T4H 1P8 E-Mail the Chamber at oldscham@telusplanet.net Home | Our Members | Goal Statements | Member Benefits | Contact Us Calendar of Events | Questions | Special Events | Luncheons | Newsletter | Tourism Links | Olds Fashioned Christmas | Business After Hours | Leadership Training These pages are designed and maintained by Windsor Graphics.