The 10 Privacy Principles of PIPEDA – Identifying Purposes

The second principle of the 10 Privacy Principles of PIPEDA is Identifying Purposes.

Identifying Purposes

The principle of Identifying Purposes states that your organization must clearly identify the purposes for which personal information is collected, either before or at time of collection. This also helps organizations comply with the Openness and Individual Access principles.

When Collecting Personal Information

If your organization uses its employees to collect personal information, such as asking customers for their addresses or phone numbers when they purchase products or services, those employees should be able to clearly explain why personal information is required when they ask for its collection.

If your organization collects personal information on application forms, those application forms should clearly describe the purposes for which personal information is being collected.

New Purposes for Personal Information

If personal information is collected and your organization finds a new purpose for it, unless the new purpose is required by law, your organization cannot use that personal information for another purpose without consent.

Compliance with Other Principles

Abiding by this principle also helps your organization comply with principle four (Limiting Collection), and avoids your organization from collecting information that is not required for its intended purposes.

The principle of Identifying Purposes is also closely linked to the principles of Limiting Collection and Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention.