At Autonommi, we are committed to providing our clients with exceptional service. As providing this service involves the collection, use and disclosure of some personal information about our clients protecting their personal information is one of our highest priorities. This policy also describes certain information collected from prospective clients, website visitors, and other individuals who interact with us.
While we have always respected our clients’ privacy and safeguarded their personal information, we have strengthened our commitment to protecting personal information as a result of British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). PIPA, which came into effect on January 1, 2004, sets out the ground rules for how B.C. businesses and not-for-profit organizations may collect, use and disclose personal information.
We will inform our clients of why and how we collect, use and disclose their personal information, obtain their consent where required, and only handle their personal information in a manner that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances.
This Personal Information Protection Policy, in compliance with PIPA, outlines the principles and practices we will follow in protecting clients’ personal information. Our privacy commitment includes ensuring the accuracy, confidentiality, and security of our clients’ personal information and allowing our clients’ to request access to, and correction of, their personal information.
Definitions
Personal Information – means information about an identifiable individual including but not limited to name, age, date of birth, home address and phone number, social insurance number, marital status, religion, income, credit history, medical information, education, employment information. Depending on the circumstances, personal information may also include online identifiers and technical or usage information, such as an IP address, device or browser information, cookie identifiers, and website usage information. Personal information does not include contact information (described below).
Contact information – means information that would enable an individual to be contacted at a place of business and includes name, position name or title, business telephone number, business address, business email or business fax number. Contact information is not covered by this policy or PIPA.
Privacy Officer – means the individual designated responsibility for ensuring that Autonommi complies with this policy and PIPA.
Collecting Personal Information
Unless the purposes for collecting personal information are obvious and the client voluntarily provides his or her personal information for those purposes, we will communicate the purposes for which personal information is being collected, either orally or in writing, before or at the time of collection.
We will only collect client information that is necessary to fulfill the following purposes:
- To manage a subscription;
- To provide Client Services by email, mail, or telephone;
- To identify client preferences;
- To understand the consulting needs of our clients;
- To open and manage an account;
- To deliver requested products and services;
- To ensure a high standard of service to our clients;
- To send information on the modification or evolution of our services;
- To meet regulatory requirements;
- To understand how visitors use our website;
- To measure the performance of our website and marketing activities;
Website Analytics and LinkedIn Insight Tag
We may use cookies, pixels, tags, and similar technologies to understand how visitors interact with our website and to measure the effectiveness of our website and marketing activities.
If enabled, our website may use the LinkedIn Insight Tag, a service provided by LinkedIn. The tag may collect information about visits to our website, including the page URL, referring URL, IP address, device and browser characteristics, and the date and time of a visit. LinkedIn may use cookies and similar technologies in connection with this collection.
We may use the LinkedIn Insight Tag to measure advertising conversions, evaluate campaign performance, obtain aggregated insights about our website audience and, where enabled, support more relevant advertising to previous website visitors.
LinkedIn provides Autonommi with reports and audience insights that do not identify individual LinkedIn members. LinkedIn receives and processes information collected through the tag in accordance with its own privacy and cookie policies.
Consent
We will obtain client consent to collect, use or disclose personal information (except where, as noted below, we are authorized to do so without consent).
Consent can be provided orally, in writing, electronically, or it can be implied where the purpose for collecting using or disclosing the personal information would be considered obvious and the client voluntarily provides personal information for that purpose.
Consent may also be implied where a client is given notice and a reasonable opportunity to opt-out of his or her personal information being used for mail-outs, the marketing of new services or products, fundraising and the client does not opt-out.
Subject to certain exceptions (e.g., the personal information is necessary to provide the service or product, or the withdrawal of consent would frustrate the performance of a legal obligation), clients can withhold or withdraw their consent for Autonommi to use their personal information in certain ways. A client’s decision to withhold or withdraw their consent to certain uses of personal information may restrict our ability to provide a particular service or product. If so, we will explain the situation to assist the client making the decision.
We may collect, use or disclose personal information without the client’s knowledge or consent in the following limited circumstances:
- When the collection, use or disclosure of personal information is permitted or required by law;
- In an emergency that threatens an individual's life, health, or personal security;
- When the personal information is available from a public source (e.g., a telephone directory);
- When we require legal advice from a lawyer;
- To protect ourselves from fraud;
- To investigate an anticipated breach of an agreement or a contravention of law
Using and Disclosing Personal Information
We will only use or disclose client personal information where necessary to fulfill the purposes identified at the time of collection.
We will not use or disclose client personal information for any additional purpose unless we obtain consent to do so.
We will not sell client lists or personal information to other parties.
Service Providers and Processing Outside Canada
We may disclose personal information to service providers that assist us with website hosting, analytics, advertising, communications, and other business functions. These service providers may process information on our behalf or in accordance with their applicable terms and privacy obligations.
Some service providers may process or store information outside British Columbia or Canada. As a result, personal information may be subject to the laws of another jurisdiction and may be accessible to courts, law-enforcement authorities, or government agencies in that jurisdiction.
Retaining Personal Information
If we use client personal information to make a decision that directly affects the client we will retain that personal information for at least one year so that the client has a reasonable opportunity to request access to it.
We will retain client personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the identified purposes or a legal or business purpose.
Ensuring Accuracy of Personal Information
We will make reasonable efforts to ensure that client personal information is accurate and complete where it may be used to make a decision about the client or disclosed to another organization.
Clients may request correction to their personal information in order to ensure its accuracy and completeness. A request to correct personal information must be made in writing and provide sufficient detail to identify the personal information and the correction being sought.
If the personal information is demonstrated to be inaccurate or incomplete, we will correct the information as required and send the corrected information to any organization to which we disclosed the personal information in the previous year. If the correction is not made, we will note the clients’ correction request in the file.
Securing Personal Information
We are committed to ensuring the security of client personal information in order to protect it from unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification or disposal or similar risks.
The following security measures will be followed to ensure that client personal information is appropriately protected:
We will continually review and update our security policies and controls as technology changes to ensure ongoing personal information security.
Providing Clients Access to Personal Information
Clients have a right to access their personal information, subject to limited exceptions. A full listing of the exceptions to access can be found in section 23 of PIPA. Some examples include: solicitor-client privilege, disclosure would reveal personal information about another individual, health and safety concerns.
A request to access personal information must be made in writing and provide sufficient detail to identify the personal information being sought.
Upon request, we will also tell clients how we use their personal information and to whom it has been disclosed if applicable.
We will make the requested information available within 30 days, or provide written notice of an extension where additional time is required to fulfill the request.
A minimal fee may be charged for providing access to personal information. Where a fee may apply, we will inform the client of the cost and request further direction from the client on whether or not we should proceed with the request.
If a request is refused in full or in part, we will notify the client in writing, providing the reasons for refusal and the recourse available to the client.
Questions and Complaints: The Role of the Privacy Officer
The Privacy Officer is responsible for ensuring Autonommi compliance with this policy and the Personal Information Protection Act.
Clients should direct any complaints, concerns or questions regarding Autonommi compliance in writing to the Privacy Officer. If the Privacy Officer is unable to resolve the concern, the client may also write to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia.
Contact information for Autonommi’s Privacy Officer: contact@autonommi.com