British Columbia's Personal Information Protection Act is expected to come into effect on January 1, 2004. It will preside over the collection, use and disclosure of a wide range of personal information, including information about employees, customers, suppliers, volunteers, members, contractors, donors only to mention a few. This Act will also make available to an individual, including an employee, with the right to access and reasonably amend personal information held about them, subject to certain expectations.

International Position
The pressure for a more sternly controlled business privacy law was received with astonishing force in the past five years when the European community embarked a plan to restrict the activities of companies doing business in countries without strict privacy laws. Canada signed on, and the Federal Government has in turn requisitioned Provinces to endorse their own, equivalent standards, or operate by Ottawa's rules beginning on January 1, 2004.

Privacy Compliance Good for Business
Customers take their privacy seriously. British Columbians have valued the protection of personal information as the second most important issue in the Province. This public uneasiness has resulted in an estimated loss of $15 billion in e-commerce sales due to customer apprehension over the security of their personal information.

Practical Steps
Below are some convenient steps to assist organizations in order to be accurately prepared on January 1, 2004:

	Designate a privacy officer
	Take an information inventory
	Develop policies and procedures
	Get the message out
	Develop a training strategy; and
	Follow-up

Guidelines in Developing Policies and Procedures
After completing the inventory of current privacy practices, organizations should develop and implement privacy policies and procedures. These will include readily available and transparent policies and practices that deal with the following:

	Principles of information practices;
	Obtaining consent for the collection, use and
	disclosure of personal information;
	How, when and why personal information is collected,
	used and disclosed;
	Limiting use and disclosure;
	Dealing with appropriate retention and destruction;
	Accountability;
	Maintaining accuracy and correcting personal
	information; and
	Implementing security safeguards.

Additionally, organizations must, on request, provide any individual including an employee; with the information the organization possesses about that person, as well as an account of how that information has been used and to whom it has been disclosed. As a result, it is vital that organizations develop and maintain an effective internal system of tracking the collection, use and disclosure of personal information, including employee personal information.

For more information on the Privacy Policy Legislation

For more information on the Federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act

For more information on The Personal Information Protection Act