Human Resources 101

The Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) normally requires organizations to obtain an individual’s consent before collecting, using or disclosing personal information about that individual. However, there are exceptions to this rule, including the exception for “publicly available” information.

Some personal information is made public for a legitimate primary purpose. For example, individuals allow their name, address and telephone number to appear in a telephone directory to enable others to contact them. Some government registries, such as land titles and personal property registries are open to the public to promote longstanding public policy purposes. PIPA recognizes that this information should continue to be accessible to an organization for its primary purpose without the need to obtain the individual’s consent. However, the use of the information for secondary purposes should be subject to the same fair information principles that apply to other types of personal information.

This Information Sheet explains what personal information is “publicly available” for the purposes of the Act and the circumstances in which an organization may collect, use or disclose this information without the consent of the individual the information is about.

PIPA Information Sheet 9: Publicly Available Information