PIPEDA Findings #2019-005: 411Numbers ceases practice of removing information for a fee

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) investigated 411Numbers, a website operator that provided free access to telephone numbers and associated information. A complainant alleged that 411Numbers collected, used, and disclosed his personal information without consent, used it for an inappropriate purpose (paid removal service), over-collected information for removal services, and was unresponsive to privacy concerns. The OPC found that 411Numbers contravened PIPEDA by publishing unlisted telephone numbers without consent, and that its previous practice of requiring extensive identification for removal services was an over-collection. The paid removal service was also deemed inappropriate. However, 411Numbers has since ceased its paid removal service and implemented new practices for information removal and data collection.

• Jurisdiction over a non-Canadian company with a real and substantial connection to Canada
• Collection, use, and disclosure of unlisted telephone numbers without consent
• Appropriateness of using personal information for a paid removal service
• Over-collection of personal information for identity verification during removal requests