Many commercial and government websites include a privacy notice or a more detailed privacy policy, informing individuals that personal information about them is being collected; how it will be used, stored and disclosed; and how long the information will be retained. A good policy would be based on the fair information practices as set forth in international guidelines or domestic law. The policy should be posted online with prominent links from pages where data is collected. While privacy notices do not in and of themselves guarantee privacy protection, they give website visitors sufficient information to decide if they want to: proceed with providing their personal information online; use another method for submitting their personal information (such as the phone or in-person); or opt out entirely.

Privacy Notices – Key Resources:

Canadian government’s “Guide to Writing a Privacy Notice.”

OECD, “Privacy Statement Generator.”

Treasury Board of Canada, “Notice and Consent Guidelines in an Online Environment” (April 23, 2003).


Back to Beginning of Chapter