Canadian privacy & access decisions

An individual complained about a retail chain's practice of printing personal information on receipts and collecting excessive information for returns. The complainant was concerned that the printing of name, credit card number, and expiry date on receipts, and the recording of driver's license and credit card information for refunds, constituted unnecessary collection of personal information. During the investigation, the company updated its point-of-sale equipment to mask personal information on receipts. For returns, the company committed to continuing to collect name, address, and telephone number, but would no longer record identification information, only asking to see it. Credit card information would only be requested if a credit card was used for the original purchase. The company also committed to training its employees on these new procedures. Both the complainant and the OPC were satisfied with these changes.

• Whether printing customer's name, credit card number, and expiry date on receipts constituted unnecessary collection of personal information under PIPEDA
• Whether requiring and recording a driver's license and credit card for returns constituted unnecessary collection of personal information under PIPEDA