Privacy Law in Canada

By Susan Munroe

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy  

Are you worried about the privacy of your personal information? Do you hesitate to use your credit card online? Do you wonder who has access to the personal information you are required to give Canadian governments? What about Canadian banks? Just what do they do with all the information they collect about you? Who monitors the private sector? Here is a quick overview of the laws governing the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information by both governments and businesses in Canada.

Privacy and Governments in Canada

The 1983 federal Privacy Act puts limits and obligations on over 150 federal government departments and agencies on the collection, use and disclosure of personal information. It also gives Canadians the right to find out what personal information the federal government has about them by making a formal request under the Privacy Act. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has the authority to investigate complaints.

The governments of all provinces and territories in Canada, except for Newfoundland and Labrador, also have legislation governing the collection, use and disclosure of personal information. The legislation varies from province to province, but the general right to access and correct personal information exists in all, and each has a commissioner or ombudsman who is authorized to handle complaints.

Privacy and the Private Sector

The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, or PIPED Act, regulates how private sector organizations collect, use and disclose personal information in the course of business activities. This Act has been implemented in three stages:

• January 1, 2001 - federally regulated private sector, for example banks and international air carriers, is covered
• January 1, 2002 - personal health information collected, used or disclosed by federally regulated organizations covered.
• January 1, 2004 - covers information collected in the course of any commercial activity in any province or territory in Canada, including provincially regulated organizations. If a province has legislation substantially similar to the federal law, then that province may be exempted. At the beginning of 2004, the only province exempted from the federal PIPED Act was Quebec. Quebec businesses are not covered by the PIPED Act, but must comply with the Quebec private sector privacy law.

Principles of Fair Information

The PIPED Act establishes ten principles that organizations must follow when collecting, using and disclosing personal information in the course of commercial activity. These principles have been adapted from the Model Privacy Code of the Canadian Standards Association.

• accountability
• identifying purpose
• consent
• limiting collection
• limiting use, disclosure and retention
• accuracy
• safeguards
• openness
• individual access
• challenging compliance

Privacy Complaints

Individuals can complain to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada about violations, and the Commissioner can start his own investigation without waiting for a complaint.

How Cyberstalkers Obtain Your Personal Information

From Alexis A. Moore

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy 

Jan 8 2009

This is seventh in a series of articles on women and cyberstalking written for About.com by cyberstalking expert Alexis A. Moore, founder of the national advocacy group Survivors in Action. Today anyone can conduct an internet search typing in such key words as

• license plate records
• people locate
• employment locate
• bank account locate
• employment locate
• phone record trace
• social security number trace
• property records information

Searching with these words will bring up hundreds of internet-based datafurnishing companies that supply consumer records online. Some even provide these types of records for free. Experiment a little and you'll quickly discover that you don't need to hire a private investigator to obtain personal information; with a little ingenuity and the help of the internet, you can find it yourself. Internet-based information brokerages and datafurnishing companies are surfacing all over the country. The information age has created a new revenue source for those who provide consumer records. Datafurnishing is a billion dollar industry that includes the three national credit bureaus, companies like Lexis Nexis, Accurint, Choicepoint and the thousands of others that pop up daily. All provide consumer private records with the click of a mouse.
Currently, a convicted felon in California is operating one of the nation's largest information brokering businesses. Yet the hands of local law enforcement are tied because information brokers are neither licensed nor regulated nearly as well as they should be. Simply stated, anyone at any time can hire one of these datafurnishing agents or an information broker and obtain data that the majority of us believe is private.
In California, I have been working with State Assemblywoman Fiona Ma's office in San Francisco to help introduce legislation that will mandate licensing of all information brokers that sell a Californian's private records and information to a third party. Such licensing is not presently in place, enabling many of these so-called information brokers' practices to remain unnoticed by law enforcement and our nation's law makers.
Over the years I have spoken with members of the justice department, local and state law enforcement including the FBI and political figures. All have had the same response: They aren't aware of anything that protects people's records. Most of the time they shake their heads and tell me it's crazy how easy it is to get access to personal information on the internet.

A Dangerous Trick - Caller ID Spoofing

Many people erroneously believe they are safe from cyberstalking because they are rarely online. But technology has extended beyond the reach of the computer and where technology goes, cyberstalkers can follow.
Caller ID spoofing is simple to do. Google the topic and you'll instantly locate sites where you can purchase the technology yourself. By buying pre-paid time, you can then call someone else, changing the number and the name you're calling from on their call display. The person picks up the phone thinking they're talking to National Bank, and instead it's a stalker after personal information. Using these tricks, cyberstalkers can locate victims by fooling friends and relatives into revealing the victim's whereabouts. Or they can obtain critical personal information to access a victim's private records.
In one case I was involved in, a woman received two texts from what purported to be her bank, asking for personal information. She responded without thinking about it, only to find out later that someone broke into her bank account and paid all of her bills several times. Nothing that could be proven as "stolen". As far as the bank was concerned she was the one who chose to pay bills several times. But it left her completely broke until her next payday -- over two weeks away. Even worse, now an identified person had her social security number and other key pieces of information that allowed him to do it again. And there was nothing she could do to have him arrested.
Legislation banning caller ID spoofing has been created and passed in the House and referred to the Senate, but as of this writing it has gone no further. Until laws are on the books banning the sale of caller ID spoofing technology, it is simple to purchase this technology anonymously online.

Retail Salesperson: Career Information

By Dawn Rosenberg McKay


Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy
 

Retail Sales Job Description:

Salespersons help customers find what they are looking for and try to interest them in buying the merchandise.

Employment Facts for Retail Sales:

Retail salespersons held about 4.5 million jobs in 2008.

Educational Requirements for Retail Sales:

Although there aren't any formal educational requirements for retail salespersons, many employers prefer a high school diploma or its equivalent.

Other Requirements for Retail Sales:

The following traits are necessary for a career in retail sales:

• tact and patience to deal with difficult customers;
• an interest in sales work;
• a neat appearance;
• the ability to communicate clearly and effectively;

Advancement Opportunities in Retail Sales:

Salespersons with experience and seniority usually move to positions of greater responsibility and may be given their choice of departments in which to work. They often move to areas with potentially higher earnings and commissions. In larger stores salespersons may move into managerial positions, first becoming assistant managers. In smaller stores these opportunities for advancement vary since store owners may handle all managarial responsibilities.

Job Outlook for Retail Sales:

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that, of almost all occupations, retail sales will have the greatest number of job openings through 2018. It is expected to grow as fast as the average for all occupations during this period of time.

Earnings in Retail Sales:

Median Annual Earnings in the Industries Employing the Largest Numbers of Retail Salespersons (U.S., 2008)

• Automobile dealers: $18.91
• Building material and supplies dealers: $11.95
• Other general merchandise stores: $9.22
• Department stores: $9.14
• Clothing stores: $8.94

Use the Salary Calculator at Salary.com to find out how much retail salespeople currently earn in your city.

A Day in a Retail Salesperson's Life:

On a typical day a retail salesperson will:

• describe a product's features;
• demonstrate its use;
• show various models and colors;
• explain the features of various models;
• provide information about warranties, the meaning of manufacturers' specifications, and the types of options and financing available;
• make out sales checks;
• receive cash, checks, and charge payments;
• bag or package purchases;
• give out change and receipts;