Personal Information Protection Act - Office of the Information and ...

A G u i d e f o r B u s i n e s s e s a n d O r g a n i z a t i o n s o n t h e P e r s o n a l I n f o r m a t i o n P r o t e c t i o n A c t
What organizations and types
of information does PIPA regulate?
Organizations under the Act
PIPA applies to all organizations and to all personal information held by organizations unless
the Act says that it does not apply (section 4(1)).
An organization includes:
▲ a corporation,
▲ an association that is not incorporated,
▲ a trade union,
▲ a partnership, and
▲ an individual acting in a commercial capacity (for example, an individual running a small
renovation business that is not incorporated).
When Organization A hires Organization B under a contract, Organization A is responsible for
the personal information related to the contract. Organization B is also responsible for making
sure they operate in accordance with the Act.
An organization does not include a person who is acting in a personal or domestic way, related
solely to family or home activities.
Self-governing professional organizations
PIPA allows a professional regulatory organization to develop a personal information code that
provides the same level of privacy protection as the Act while allowing some latitude in format
and wording. The code must be consistent with the rights and obligations set out in PIPA, and
the Commissioner can still investigate or review the decisions or actions of a professional
regulatory organization with a personal information code.
For guidelines on developing a personal information code, see Guidelines for Developing
a Personal Information Code for Professional Regulatory Organizations, available at
pipa.alberta.ca.
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Service Alberta and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner