Alberta Basic Security Training (ABST) Practice Exam 2024

What does Private Information & Protection of Electronic Documents Act govern?

1. Use of internet, computers, email and electronic devices.

2. The collection, use and disclosure of personal information.

3. Protection of private and personal documents against theft.

4. The types of documents that can be collected and stored electronically.

The correct answer is: The collection, use and disclosure of personal information.

The Private Information & Protection of Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) governs the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information. It applies to private sector organizations that collect, use, or disclose personal information in the course of commercial activities. Private Information, in this context, refers to any data about an identifiable individual, which could include anything from age, ID numbers, income, ethnic origin, or blood type to comments, opinions, social status, or disciplinary actions. The main purpose of PIPEDA is to balance the privacy rights of individuals with the need of organizations to collect, use or disclose personal information for legitimate business purposes. The Act outlines ground rules for how businesses must handle personal information in the course of their commercial activity. This encompasses ensuring meaningful consent for the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information, using or disclosing personal information only for the purposes that the individual consented to and providing individuals with access to their personal information, among others. It's essential to remember that PIPEDA does not govern the use of the internet, computers, email, and electronic devices per se, rather, it focuses on how personal information is handled in electronic format. Likewise, the Act doesn't specify protection of private and personal documents against