Federal (Canada) privacy & access decisions

The complainant alleged that TransUnion disclosed his credit file information to Statistics Canada without consent, and that this information was subsequently used for debt collection. TransUnion argued that it was authorized to disclose the information under PIPEDA paragraph 7(3)(i) because the disclosure was required by law, specifically section 13 of the Statistics Act. The OPC found that TransUnion was authorized to disclose the information under PIPEDA subparagraph 7(3)(c.1)(iii), as Statistics Canada had identified its lawful authority and the disclosure was for administering the Statistics Act. The OPC also found no evidence that Statistics Canada disclosed the complainant's information for debt collection purposes. Therefore, the complaint was deemed not well-founded.

• Whether TransUnion disclosed the complainant's credit file information to Statistics Canada without requisite consent
• Whether TransUnion was authorized to disclose personal information without consent under PIPEDA subparagraph 7(3)(c.1)(iii)
• Whether Statistics Canada identified its lawful authority to obtain the information
• Whether the disclosure was requested to administer a law of Canada (the Statistics Act)
• Whether Statistics Canada subsequently disclosed the complainant's credit file information to other government institutions for debt collection
• Whether there was sufficient evidence to support the allegation of information misuse for debt collection