privacy provisions related identity theft

Can PIPEDA protect you against discarded sensitive data?

Meghna 0 Comments canadian privacy law, dumpster diving in canada, how to destroy sensitive personal information, identity theft criminal code canada, identity theft garbage, office garbage theft, pipeda canada identity theft, pipeda destruction of personal information, privacy and canada, Privacy Issues, privacy provisions related identity theft

One man’s garbage is another’s treasure! This phrase appropriately fits in today’s era, where criminals dig into the trash to seek and retrieve bank and credit card statements, expired credit cards, account statements, cancelled cheques, or any other form of financial documents. The search carried out in discarded material is called “dumpster diving”. Traditional dumpster diving has now evolved to carry out identity thefts and related frauds.

With businesses having voluminous data of their customers, mishandling of even one document can lead to catastrophic consequences. Are companies taking proper measures to tackle the disposal of personal sensitive information? Are PIPEDA provisions protecting individuals against dumpster diving?

Dumpster Diving – is it legal in Canada?

In Canada, dumpster diving is not illegal per se. The garbage in the public domain can be searched by any person. The Supreme Court of Canada in R v Patrick, 2009 SCC 17 that individuals …