Personal Information Banks

PIB (Personal Information Bank) Index

As of June 10, 2006 all Ontario universities must comply with the statutory requirements of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). One of the requirements under FIPPA is for Laurentian University to provide an index of all Personal Information Banks to the responsible minister.

As defined in FIPPA section 2(1), a PIB is a “collection of personal information that is organized and capable of being retrieved using an individual’s name or an identifying number or particular assigned to the individual.”

The Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario (IPC) has pointed out that “in order to effectively carry out the purposes of [FIPPA] in an effective and comprehensive manner, the information that is created and maintained by [institutions] needs to be stored in ways that allow members of the public to exercise their statutory right to access easily and cost effectively.”[1]

Under FIPPA section 45, Laurentian University’s index of all PIBs must include the following:

·        name and location(s) of the PIB

·        the legal authority for its establishment

·        the types of personal information (PI) maintained

·        how it is regularly used

·        who uses it

·        to whom it is regularly disclosed

·        the types of individuals about whom PI is maintained

·        the policies and practices regarding retention and disposal of the PI

To this end, Laurentian has created a PIB questionnaire to be filled out by all departments/units of the University. The purpose of this questionnaire is to gather information from departments/units about what groups or types of files they are creating that contain PI, and the types of PI contained in these files, who has access to these files, how these files are stored, and so on as per the questions on the questionnaire. The University’s Information and Privacy Office (IPO) will then compile this information to determine Laurentian University’s PIBs, eventually producing a PIB index. This is an ongoing obligation; once the PIB index has been created it will need to be updated on a regular basis (FIPPA section 45).

Click here to view the questionnaire.

To view a typical university PIB index, click here.

 

Laurentian University’s PIB index

Currently under development; please check back here for updates.

 

 

Please direct any questions to Victoria Edwards, Records Officer at vedwards@laurentian.ca, or extension 3416.

 

 

 

                                               



[1] IPC, “Promoting Transparency through the Electronic Dissemination of Information,” April 2004.  Available online at http://www.ipc.on.ca/images/Resources/up-protrans.pdf

 

 

 
 
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