Young Readers’ Choice Awards Society of British Columbia
Personal Information Protection Policy
At Young Readers’ Choice Awards Society of British Columbia, we are committed to protecting the data and privacy of our volunteers, community members and learners. As providing this service involves the collection, use and disclosure of some personal information about our community members, protecting their personal information is one of our highest priorities.
While we have always respected our community members’ privacy and safeguarded their personal information, we have strengthened our commitment to protecting personal information as a result of British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). PIPA, which came into effect on January 1, 2004, sets out the ground rules for how B.C. businesses and not-for-profit organizations may collect, use and disclose personal information.
We will inform our community members of why and how we collect, use and disclose their personal information, obtain their consent where required, and only handle their personal information in a manner that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances.
This Personal Information Protection Policy, in compliance with PIPA, outlines the principles and practices we will follow in protecting community members’ personal information. Our privacy commitment includes ensuring the accuracy, confidentiality, and security of our community members’ personal information and allowing our community members’ to request access to, and correction of, their personal information.
Scope of this Policy
This Personal Information Protection Policy applies to Young Readers’ Choice Awards Society of British Columbia.
This policy also applies to any service providers collecting, using or disclosing personal information on behalf of Young Readers’ Choice Awards Society of British Columbia.
Definitions
Personal Information –means information about an identifiable individual. Personal information does not include contact information (described below).
Contact information – means information that would enable an individual to be contacted at a place of business and includes name, position name or title, business telephone number, business address, business email or business fax number. Contact information is not covered by this policy or PIPA.
Privacy Officer – means the individual designated responsibility for ensuring that Young Readers’ Choice Awards Society of British Columbia complies with this policy and PIPA.
Policy 1 – Collecting Personal Information
1.1 Unless the purposes for collecting personal information are obvious and the community member voluntarily provides his or her personal information for those purposes, we will communicate the purposes for which personal information is being collected, either orally or in writing, before or at the time of collection.
1.2 We will only collect community members’ information that is necessary to fulfill the following purposes:
- Voting Procedures: To ensure an efficient, transparent, and accurate voting process for nominated books.
- Literary Engagement: To identify and nurture reading preferences pertinent to students and educational community stakeholders, ensuring the relevance and appeal of the nominated books.
- Marketing & Promotion: To heighten awareness, increase engagement, and champion the significance of the Red Cedar Book Awards.
- Data Analysis: To derive metrics and statistics, presented in aggregate form, to continuously enhance the administration, appeal, and impact of the Red Cedar Book Awards.
- Regulatory Compliance: To adhere strictly to any pertinent regulatory or legal stipulations, ensuring the protection and rights of our community members.
- Audits: To facilitate comprehensive internal and external reviews of both program initiatives and financial transactions, affirming transparency, and accountability.
- Donor Commitments: To honor our responsibilities towards our benefactors, which includes the provision of donation receipts and periodic updates on the impact of their contributions.
- Community Events: To design, promote, and orchestrate events that foster community bonding, literacy appreciation, and the celebration of literary achievements.
- Communication: To disseminate newsletters, updates, or other communications, keeping the community informed, engaged, and inspired.
- Membership Management: To maintain an updated, accurate, and comprehensive record of our organization’s members, ensuring they receive all the benefits and communications pertinent to their membership.
- Volunteer Coordination: To manage, appreciate, and communicate with those who volunteer within the Red Cedar Awards program, recognizing their invaluable contribution and ensuring a rewarding experience.
Policy 2 – Consent
2.1 We will obtain community member consent to collect, use or disclose personal information (except where, as noted below, we are authorized to do so without consent).
2.2 Consent can be provided orally, in writing, electronically or it can be implied where the purpose for collecting using or disclosing the personal information would be considered obvious and the community member voluntarily provides personal information for that purpose.
2.3 Consent may also be implied where a community member is given notice and a reasonable opportunity to opt-out of his or her personal information being used for mail-outs, the marketing of new services or products, fundraising and the community member does not opt-out.
2.4 Subject to certain exceptions (e.g., the personal information is necessary to provide the service or product, or the withdrawal of consent would frustrate the performance of a legal obligation), community members’ can withhold or withdraw their consent for Young Readers’ Choice Awards Society of British Columbia to use their personal information in certain ways. A community members’ decision to withhold or withdraw their consent to certain uses of personal information may restrict our ability to provide a particular service or product. If so, we will explain the situation to assist the community member in making the decision.
2.5 We may collect, use or disclose personal information without the community members’ knowledge or consent in the following limited circumstances:
- When the collection, use or disclosure of personal information is permitted or required by law;
- In an emergency that threatens an individual’s life, health, or personal security;
- When the personal information is available from a public source (e.g., a telephone directory, employer website);
- When we require legal advice from a lawyer;
- For the purposes of collecting a debt;
- To protect ourselves from fraud;
- To investigate an anticipated breach of an agreement or a contravention of law
Policy 3 – Using and Disclosing Personal Information
3.1 We will only use or disclose community member personal information where necessary to fulfill the purposes identified at the time of collection.
3.2 We will not use or disclose community member personal information for any additional purpose unless we obtain consent to do so.
3.3 We will not sell community member lists or personal information to other parties.
Policy 4 – Retaining Personal Information
4.1 If we use community member personal information to make a decision that directly affects the member we will retain that personal information for at least one year so that the community member has a reasonable opportunity to request access to it.
4.2 Subject to policy 4.1, we will retain community member personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the identified purposes or a legal or business purpose.
Policy 5 – Ensuring Accuracy of Personal Information
5.1 We will make reasonable efforts to ensure that community member’s personal information is accurate and complete where it may be used to make a decision about the community member or disclosed to another organization.
5.2 Community members’ may request correction to their personal information in order to ensure its accuracy and completeness. A request to correct personal information must be made in writing and provide sufficient detail to identify the personal information and the correction being sought. A request to correct personal information should be forwarded to the Privacy Officer.
5.3 If the personal information is demonstrated to be inaccurate or incomplete, we will correct the information as required and send the corrected information to any organization to which we disclosed the personal information in the previous year. If the correction is not made, we will note the member’s correction request in the file.
Policy 6 – Securing Personal Information
6.1 We are committed to ensuring the security of community member personal information in order to protect it from unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification or disposal or similar risks.
6.2 The following security measures will be followed to ensure that community member personal information is appropriately protected:
- Requiring a username and password to ensure that only authorized users can access personal information.
- Storing information in local jurisdictions when feasible, and taking steps to mitigate personal information disclosure where this is not possible.
- Implementing 2-factor authentication for online services when available and reasonable.
- Maintaining access control policies to ensure that personal data is only available for users with a need-to-know.
- Implementing and regularly updating firewalls and encryption measures for digital data storage and transfer.
- Implementing secure data disposal methods, ensuring outdated or unneeded personal information is destroyed in a manner that prevents retrieval.
6.3 We will use appropriate security measures when destroying community members’ personal information such as periodically pruning unneeded personal information, completing secure erasure of electronic data, and shredding paper records.
6.4 We will continually review and update our security policies and controls as technology changes to ensure ongoing personal information security.
Policy 7 – Providing Community members’ Access to Personal Information
7.1 Community members’ have a right to access their personal information, subject to limited exceptions as specified in section 23 of PIPA.
7.2 A request to access personal information must be made in writing and provide sufficient detail to identify the personal information being sought. : A request to access personal information should be forwarded to the Privacy Officer
7.3 Upon request, we will also tell community members how we use their personal information and to whom it has been disclosed if applicable.
7.4 We will make the requested information available within 30 business days, or provide written notice of an extension where additional time is required to fulfill the request.
7.5 A minimal fee may be charged for providing access to personal information. Where a fee may apply, we will inform the community member of the cost and request further direction from the community member on whether or not we should proceed with the request.
7.6 If a request is refused in full or in part, we will notify the community member in writing, providing the reasons for refusal and the recourse available to the community member.
Policy 8 – Questions and Complaints: The Role of the Privacy Officer or designated individual
8.1 The Privacy Officer or designated individual is responsible for ensuring Young Readers’ Choice Awards Society of British Columbia’s compliance with this policy and the Personal Information Protection Act.
8.2 Community members should direct any complaints, concerns or questions regarding Young Readers’ Choice Awards Society of British Columbia’s compliance in writing to the Privacy Officer. If the Privacy Officer is unable to resolve the concern, the community member may also write to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia.
Contact information for Young Readers’ Choice Awards Society of British Columbia’s Privacy Officer.
William Chen
IT Manager & Director-at-Large
it@redcedaraward.ca