Individuals own their own information and have a legal right to privacy protection
- Treat students and employees as stakeholders in the collection, use and disclosure of their personal information.
- Students and employees are sharing their personal information with Kwantlen Polytechnic University in exchange for services provided by the university and to permit KPU to comply with both provincial and federal legislation. In so doing neither students nor employees cede ownership of their personal information and are entitled to only authorized use or disclosure of that information.
Public bodies may collect personal information which relates directly to, and is necessary for, an operating program or activity of the public body
- Collect only the personal information necessary to provide the service.
- Share information on a need-to-know, rather than a want-to-know basis, and then only with authorized individuals.
Information may only be used for the purpose for which it is collected or a use consistent with that purpose
- Additional consent is not required to use information for a consistent use. A use is "consistent" if it has a reasonable and direct connection to the original purpose AND it is necessary for operating a program or activity of the public body that uses or discloses that information. Consent must be obtained to collect or use personal information for other purposes and it's best to err on the side of caution.
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Caveat: there are certain limited instances delineated in the act, for when personal information may be disclosed, without consent of the individual. Emergencies are just one example. For a full list, see Sections 33 - 36 of FIPPA.
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Life Trumps Privacy: Protection of public health and safety are more important than protection of privacy
Threats to the health and safety of students, employees or others can and should be reported first to your supervisor and, if it is an emergency situation, to the appropriate authorities; protection of privacy rights are a secondary concern during emergencies. For further information refer to: Practice Tool for Exercising Discretion: Emergency Disclosure of Personal Information by Universities, Colleges and other Educational Institutions (2008) the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner.