Global Notices for Government of Canada Departments

Your Privacy and the Internet

The nature of the Internet is such that Web servers automatically collect certain information about a visit to a website, including the visitor’s Internet Protocol (IP) address. IP addresses are unique numbers assigned by Internet Service Providers (ISP) to all devices used to access the Internet. Web servers automatically log the IP addresses of visitors to their sites. The IP address, on its own, does not identify an individual. However, in certain circumstances, such as with the co-operation of an ISP for example, it could be used to identify an individual using the site. For this reason, the Government of Canada considers the IP address to be personal information, particularly when combined with other data automatically collected when visitor requests a Web page such as the page or pages visited, date and time of the visit.

Unless otherwise noted, [ institution ] does not automatically gather any specific information from you, such as your name, telephone number or email address. [ institution ] would obtain this type of information only if you supply it to us, for example, by email or by filling in a contact form. In such cases, how your personal information is handled will be provided in a Personal Information Collection Statement.

In cases where services are provided by organizations outside of the Government of Canada, such as social media platforms or mobile applications, IP addresses may be recorded by the Web server of the third-party service provider.

Communicating with the Government of Canada

If you choose to send [ institution ] an email or complete a feedback form online, your personal information is used by [ institution ] in order to respond to your inquiry. The information you provide will only be shared with another government institution if your inquiry relates to that institution. [ institution ] does not use the information to create individual profiles nor does it disclose the information to anyone other than to those in the federal government who need to provide you with a response. Any disclosure of your personal information is in accordance with the Privacy Act.

Emails and other electronic methods used to communicate with the Government of Canada are not secure unless it is specifically stated on a Web page. Therefore, it is recommended that you do not send sensitive personal information, such as your Social Insurance Number or your date of birth, through non-secure electronic means.

Personal information from emails or completed feedback forms is collected pursuant to the [ appropriate provision in institution’s enabling statute or other appropriate collection authority ]. Such information may be used for statistical, evaluation and reporting purposes and is included in Personal Information Bank [ PIB Number (PIB Title) – e.g. Public Communications (PSU 914) ].

Third-Party Social Media

[ Institution ]’s use of social media serves as an extension of its presence on the Web. Social media account(s) are public and are not hosted on Government of Canada servers. Users who choose to interact with us via social media should read the terms of service and privacy policies of these third-party service providers and those of any applications you use to access them. [ Institution ] uses [ insert platforms used here with hyperlinks to the relevant privacy policies: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube ].

Personal information that you provide to the Government of Canada via social media account(s) is collected under the authority of the [ appropriate provision in institution’s enabling statute or other appropriate collection authority ]. This information is collected to capture conversations (e.g. questions and answers, comments, “likes”, retweets) between you and [ institution ]. It may be used to respond to inquiries, or for statistical, evaluation and reporting purposes. Comments posted that violate Canadian law will be deleted and disclosed to law enforcement authorities. Comments that violate our rules of engagement will also be deleted. The personal information is included in Personal Information Bank [ PIB Number (PIB Title) – e.g. Outreach Activities (PSU 938) ].

Improving your Experience on Government of Canada Websites

Protecting the Security of Government of Canada Websites

[ Institution ] employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. This software receives and records the IP address of the computer that has contacted our website, the date and time of the visit and the pages visited. We make no attempt to link these addresses with the identity of individuals visiting our site unless an attempt to damage the site has been detected.

This information is collected pursuant to section 161 of the Financial Administration Act. The information may be shared with appropriate law enforcement authorities if suspected criminal activities are detected. Such information may be used for network security related statistical purposes, audit, evaluation, research, planning and reporting and is included in Personal Information Bank [ PIB Number (PIB Title) – e.g. Security Incidents (PSU 939) ].

Inquiring about these Practices

Any questions, comments, concerns or complaints you may have regarding the administration of the Privacy Act and privacy policies regarding [ institution ]’s Web presence may be directed to our Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator by email to [ Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator email ], by calling [ Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator phone number ] or writing to [ Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator mailing address ].

If you are not satisfied with [ institution ]’s response to your privacy concern, you may wish to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner by telephone at 1-800-282-1376.

Non-Commercial Reproduction

Unless otherwise specified you may reproduce the materials in whole or in part for non-commercial purposes, and in any format, without charge or further permission, provided you do the following:

• Exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced;
• Indicate both the complete title of the materials reproduced, as well as the author (where available); and
• Indicate that the reproduction is a copy of the version available at [URL where original document is available] .

Commercial Reproduction

Unless otherwise specified, you may not reproduce materials on this site, in whole or in part, for the purposes of commercial redistribution without prior written permission from [ Applied Title of the Department ].

Some of the content on this site may be subject to the copyright of another party. Where information has been produced or copyright is not held by Government of Canada, the materials are protected under the Copyright Act, and international agreements. Details concerning copyright ownership are indicated on the relevant page(s).

To obtain permission to reproduce Government of Canada materials on this site for commercial purposes or to obtain additional information concerning copyright ownership and restrictions, please contact:
[ Applied Title of the Department ]
[ Mailing address ]
[ Email address ]

Trademark Notice

The official symbols of the Government of Canada, including the Canada Wordmark, the Arms of Canada, and the flag symbol may not be reproduced, whether for commercial or non-commercial purposes, without prior written authorization.

Content and Frequency

[The Government of Canada] uses social media accounts as an alternative method of interacting with Canadians and of sharing the content posted on its website, facilitating access to [Government of Canada] information and services, and providing stakeholders with an opportunity to interact in an informative and respectful environment.

Because social media platforms and their computer servers are managed by a third party, social media accounts are subject to downtime that may be out of the Government of Canada’s control. The government accepts no responsibility for platforms becoming unresponsive or unavailable.

Links to Other Websites and Ads

Social media accounts may post or display links or ads for websites that are not under the control of the government of Canada. These links are provided solely for the convenience of users. The government is not responsible for the information found through these links or ads; neither does it endorse the sites or their content.

Following, “Favouriting” and Subscribing

[The Government of Canada]’s decision to follow, “like” or subscribe to another social media account does not imply an endorsement of that account, channel, page or site, and neither does sharing (re-tweeting, reposting or linking to) content from another user.

Comments and Interaction

[The Government of Canada] will read comments and participate in discussions when appropriate. Your comments and contributions must be relevant and respectful.

[The Government of Canada] will not engage in partisan or political issues or respond to questions that violate these Terms and Conditions.

[The Government of Canada] reserves the right to remove comments and contributions, and to block users based on the following criteria:

The comments or contributions:

• include personal information
• include protected or classified information of the Government of Canada
• infringe upon intellectual property or proprietary rights
• are contrary to the principles of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Constitution Act, 1982
• are racist, hateful, sexist, homophobic or defamatory, or contain or refer to any obscenity or pornography
• are threatening, violent, intimidating or harassing
• are contrary to any federal, provincial or territorial laws of Canada
• constitute impersonation, advertising or spam
• encourage or incite any criminal activity
• are written in a language other than English or French
• otherwise violate this notice

[The Government of Canada] reserves the right to report users and/or their comments and contributions to third-party social media service providers to prevent or remove the posting of content that is contrary to these Terms and Conditions, or to the Terms of Service/Use of the third-party social media platform.

Accessibility of Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms are third-party service providers and are not bound by Government of Canada standards for Web accessibility.

Copyright

Information that we post is subject to the Copyright Act.

Privacy

Social media accounts are not Government of Canada websites and represent only their presence on third-party service providers.

The Government of Canada uses various social media platforms to tell you about and get your input on government services, programs and initiatives. At times, the government may need to collect personal information from you.

This page tells you:

• what we mean by “personal information”
• what we do with it

It also tells you about:

• your rights and responsibilities with respect to your personal information
• what you can do if you have questions or concerns

Personal information is information about you that is recorded in any form and that can be used to identify you. Personal information includes:

• your name
• contact information
• Internet Protocol (IP) address
• social media profile information
• social media “likes” or retweets

To consult you about topics that might interest you or to enable you to participate in outreach activities, we may need to collect biographical information or your opinions and views about different topics.

We might use your personal information to:

• respond to your enquiries
• compile statistics and reports
• consult you about topics that might interest you
• enable you to participate in outreach activities
• allow for the sharing of opinions, knowledge, expertise and best practices
• evaluate programs

If you make inappropriate comments or contributions, we may remove them. We may also block you or report you to third‑party social media service providers if your comments or contributions violate the terms and conditions for interacting on social media. When doing so and to the extent necessary, we may use and disclose your personal information.

We can make the content of social media interactions publicly available if we have notified participants in advance. We will get your consent to use your personal information to create mailing lists so that we can contact you about upcoming events or to ask you for your views on particular issues.

We will not use any personal information that we collect from you through social media accounts to make decisions in processes that you are directly involved in, for example, an employment insurance application, a grant application or a citizenship application.

The following personal information banks describe how we handle personal information that we collect through our social media accounts: Public Communications (PSU 914)and Outreach Activities (PSU 938).

Official Languages

Many social media platforms have multiple language options and provide instructions on how to set your preferences. The Government of Canada respects the Official Languages Act and is committed to ensuring that our information of is available in both French and English and that both versions are equal quality.

We reply to comments in the official language in which they are posted. If we think the response is a question of general public interest, we may respond in both official languages.

We may share links that direct users to sites of organizations or other entities that are not subject to the Official Languages Act and available only in the language(s) in which they are written. When content is available in only one language, we make an effort to provide similar content in the other official language.

Questions and Media Requests

Reporters are asked to send questions to [Link to contact info on website, e.g. the Media Relations Unit].