As of November 1, 2018, organizations from coast-to-coast must
comply with new mandatory breach notification rules under the Personal Information and Protection of
Electronic Documents Act ("PIPEDA").
Non-compliance can result in fines of up to $100,000. If your
organization has not already done so, it is time to consider your
obligations and get a plan and process in place to comply.
What Are the Legal Requirements?
Any organization that is subject to PIPEDA will have reporting,
notice and record retention obligations for any "breach of
security safeguards." While all breaches trigger the
requirement to retain records of the breach, reporting and
notification are only engaged where there is a "real risk of
significant harm" to an individual (or a "RROSH").
The number of affected persons is irrelevant: whether the breach
affects one person or one million people, the existence of a RROSH
is what triggers your obligations. Here is what you need to know
about RROSHs: