Canada Post Sharing Personal Information with Credit Bureau
A complainant challenged Canada Post's practice of checking credit information during an online change of address request, alleging a violation of the Privacy Act. The OPC investigated and found that while Canada Post uses Equifax for identity verification, it does not conduct a credit check. Although no contravention of the Act was found regarding the information sharing itself, the OPC recommended and Canada Post implemented clearer notifications to individuals about the sharing of their personal information with Equifax for identity verification purposes.
- Whether Canada Post contravened the Privacy Act by sharing personal information with Equifax for identity verification.
- Adequacy of notice provided to individuals regarding the disclosure of personal information to Equifax.
- Canada Post's statutory authority to collect personal information for the online change of address process.
Complaint not well-founded, but recommendations implemented regarding notification.
The OPC found that Canada Post had the statutory authority to collect the information and did not conduct a credit check, thus no violation of the Privacy Act occurred. However, improvements were recommended and implemented regarding the transparency of information sharing with Equifax.
AI-generated summary for reference only. Always verify against the official decision ↗
Canada Post was recommended to clearly state on its website that personal information would be disclosed to Equifax for identity verification and to list the information disclosed. Canada Post implemented these recommendations.
This summary is informational only and not legal advice.