What The Privacy Commissioner's New PIPEDA "Meaningful Consent" Guidelines Mean For Organizations

Organizations subject to Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) – those that collect, use or disclose personal information in the course of commercial activity in Canada – have seven new reasons to conduct an audit of privacy policies and practices ASAP. As of January 1, 2019, Canada's Office of the Privacy Commissioner (and those of the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia) is applying new "Guidelines for obtaining meaningful consent": seven new guiding principles to help organizations ensure they obtain "meaningful consent" from their customers for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information.

The Guidelines are more than mere suggestions: they include mandatory elements for such consent to satisfy the legal requirement of "meaningful" consent". "Meaningful consent" essentially means that a person who is consenting to the collection, use or disclosure of their personal information has a solid understanding