As reported by numerous
previous articles, Canada's federal data breach
notification laws have been in effect since Nov 1, 2018, and
require all organizations subject to the Personal Information
Protection and Electronic Documents Act
("PIPEDA") to report to the federal
Commissioner all breaches of security safeguards that could lead to
a "real risk of significant harm" and to notify all
impacted individuals. PIPEDA and the Breach of Security
Safeguards Regulations set out the rules surrounding timing
and content of this notification.
The Privacy Commissioner has now released a new Guidance directed at
individuals receiving data breach notifications. While the target
audience is the public affected by breaches, the Guidance contains
some important insights for organizations regarding the risks to
individuals and their expectations with respect to risk mitigation.
This report also discusses who should be the organization's
contact person to ensure proper follow-up