Personal Information Protection
Private Sector Privacy Legislation
Personal Information Protection Policy
Virtual Labs Inc.
Personal Information Protection Policy
At Virtual Labs Inc., we are committed to providing our clients, customers, members with exceptional service.
As providing this service involves the collection, use and disclosure of some personal information about our
clients, customers, members, protecting their personal information is one of our highest priorities.
While we have always respected our clients, customers, members 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, customers, members 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’, customers’, members’ personal information. Our privacy commitment includes
ensuring the accuracy, confidentiality, and security of our clients’, customers’, members’ personal information
and allowing our clients, customers, members to request access to, and correction of, their personal information.
Definitions
Personal Information –means information about an identifiable individual. 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 Name of organization
complies with this policy and PIPA.
Policy 1 – Collecting Personal Information
1.1 Unless the purposes for collecting personal information are obvious and the client, customer, member
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.
1.2 We will only collect client, customer, member information that is necessary to fulfill the following
purposes:
To verify identity;
To verify creditworthiness;
To identify [client, customer, member] preferences;
To understand the [financial, banking, insurance] needs of our [clients, customers, members];
To open and manage an account;
To deliver requested products and services
To guarantee a travel or hotel reservation;
To process a magazine subscription;
To provide [medical, dental, counselling] services;
To enrol the client in a program;
To send out association membership information;
To contact our [clients, customers, members] for fundraising;
To ensure a high standard of service to our [clients, customers, members];
To meet regulatory requirements;
Policy 2 – Consent
2.1 We will obtain client, customer, member consent to collect, use or disclose personal information
(except where, as noted below, we are authorized to do so without consent).
2.2 Consent can be provided [include the methods that apply to your organization: e.g., orally, in writing,
electronically, through an authorized representative] or it can be implied where the purpose for
collecting using or disclosing the personal information would be considered obvious and the client,
customer, member voluntarily provides personal information for that purpose.
2.3 Consent may also be implied where a client, customer, member 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, customer, member does not opt-out.
2.4 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,
customers, members can withhold or withdraw their consent for Name of organization to use their
personal information in certain ways. A client’s, customer’s, member’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, customer, member in making
the decision.
2.5 We may collect, use or disclose personal information without the client’s, customer’s, member’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;
For the purposes of collecting a debt;
To protect ourselves from fraud;
To investigate an anticipated breach of an agreement or a contravention of law
Policy 3 – Using and Disclosing Personal Information
3.1 We will only use or disclose client, customer, member personal information where necessary to fulfill
the purposes identified at the time of collection [or for a purpose reasonably related to those purposes
such as:
To conduct client, customer, member surveys in order to enhance the provision of our services;
To contact our [clients, customers, members] directly about products and services that may be of
interest;]
3.2 We will not use or disclose client, customer, member personal information for any additional purpose
unless we obtain consent to do so.
3.3 We will not sell client, customer, member lists or personal information to other parties [unless we have
consent to do so].
Policy 4 – Retaining Personal Information
4.1 If we use client, customer, member personal information to make a decision that directly affects the
client, customer, member, we will retain that personal information for at least one year so that the
client, customer, member has a reasonable opportunity to request access to it.
4.2 Subject to policy 4.1, we will retain client, customer, member personal information only as long as
necessary to fulfill the identified purposes or a legal or business purpose.
Policy 5 – Ensuring Accuracy of Personal Information
5.1 We will make reasonable efforts to ensure that client, customer, member personal information is
accurate and complete where it may be used to make a decision about the client, customer, member or
disclosed to another organization.
5.2 Clients, Customers, Members 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.
5.3 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’,
customers’, members’ correction request in the file.
Policy 6 – Securing Personal Information
6.1 We are committed to ensuring the security of client, customer, member personal information in order to
protect it from unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification or disposal or
similar risks.
6.2 The following security measures will be followed to ensure that client, customer, member personal
information is appropriately protected:
Restricting employee access to personal information as appropriate
Firewalls
Contractually requiring any service providers to provide comparable security measures
6.3 We will use appropriate security measures when destroying client’s, customer’s, member’s personal
information such as deleting electronically stored information.
6.4 We will continually review and update our security policies and controls as technology changes to
ensure ongoing personal information security.
Policy 7 – Providing Clients, Customers, Members Access to Personal Information
7.1 Clients, Customers, Members have a right to access their personal information, subject to limited
exceptions.
7.2 A request to access personal information must be made in writing and provide sufficient detail to
identify the personal information being sought.
7.3 Upon request, we will also tell clients, customers, members how we use their personal information and
to whom it has been disclosed if applicable.
7.4 We will make the requested information available within 30 business days, or provide written notice of
an extension where additional time is required to fulfill the request.
7.5 A minimal fee may be charged for providing access to personal information. Where a fee may apply,
we will inform the client, customer, member of the cost and request further direction from the client,
customer, member on whether or not we should proceed with the request.
7.6 If a request is refused in full or in part, we will notify the client, customer, member in writing, providing
the reasons for refusal and the recourse available to the client, customer, member.
Policy 8 – Questions and Complaints: The Role of the Privacy Officer or designated individual
8.1 The Privacy Officer or designated individual is responsible for ensuring Virtual Labs Inc.’s
compliance with this policy and the Personal Information Protection Act.
8.2 Clients, Customers, Members should direct any complaints, concerns or questions regarding Virtual
Labs Inc.’s compliance in writing to the Privacy Officer. If the Privacy Officer is unable to resolve the
concern, the client, customer, member may also write to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of
British Columbia.
Contact information for Name of organization’s Privacy Officer or designated individual:
Email: ben@virtuallabs.app