Copying Google Result is Collecting Personal Information

An individual complained that Veterans Affairs Canada improperly collected his personal information. The individual had contacted Veterans Affairs and the National Capital Commission regarding a monument. Subsequently, a Veterans Affairs official searched the individual's email address on Google, finding a discussion page with personal information. The official then emailed the URL of this page to the entire email thread, stating the individual's email was "public domain." The OPC found that Veterans Affairs did not have a demonstrable need to collect the URL linking to the personal information. The collection of this URL was deemed a violation of the Privacy Act, as collected personal information must relate directly to an operating program or activity. The complaint was well-founded, and Veterans Affairs apologized and deleted the email from its systems.