Privacy Policy
Last Updated March 12, 2024.
Application
This Privacy Statement applies to any individual who accesses a website or application owned or operated by CSCA (the “Site”), including without limitation the website located at thecsca.com.
“CSCA” means, collectively, the not-for-profit corporation CSCA, Canadian Society of Collection Agencies.
The term “personal information” has the meaning attributed to it under Part I of the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”). Where a province or territory has enacted legislation that is substantially similar to Part I of PIPEDA, such as Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act, British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act, or Quebec’s Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector, and that statute has application to your personal information that CSCA collects, stores, uses or discloses, then the term “personal information” has the meaning attributed to it in that legislation.
This Privacy Statement applies to any individual who corresponds with CSCA, or uses any products or services offered by CSCA. It explains how personal information about you may be collected, used, or disclosed by CSCA as a consequence of your activities on this website and as a consequence of the operation by CSCA of its various commercial activities.
Protection of Personal Information
Canadian law governs the collection, use and disclosure of personal information in a manner that recognizes individuals’ right of privacy with respect to their personal information. CSCA is committed to protecting your privacy and safeguarding the personal information provided to us in relation to our Site. We protect and use your information by observing the principles and guidelines in PIPEDA and Canada’s Anti-Spam Law (“CASL”).
The type of personal information that is protected includes almost any information about an identifiable individual, such as the individual’s name, address, telephone number, age, sex, marital status and nationality. Personal information may not, however, include certain types of business or employment related information. It may not, for example, include the name, title, business address or telephone number of an employee of an organization.
Certain fundamental principles apply to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information. One of the most significant, is that your personal information generally cannot be collected, used or disclosed without your consent. It also allows you to find out why your personal information is being collected, how it is being used, where it’s being stored and to whom it’s disclosed. It requires the use of appropriate safeguards to secure your personal information. It also grants you access to your personal information and provides mechanisms for ensuring compliance.
CSCA does not collect, use or disclose your personal information without your consent except where required or allowed by law.
What Information Does CSCA Collect?
CSCA collects such personal information as is required for the purposes identified in this Privacy Policy, or as is identified at the time that CSCA collects the information from you.
CSCA may, from time to time, ask you to provide general information about yourself to assist in meeting your needs or to better understand the requirements, profiles and experience of Site visitors. This information includes information that is collected if you choose to participate in a survey, if you ask to receive newsletters or ask to be kept updated about new developments or services offered by CSCA or its partners, or if you contact CSCA.
You can visit this Site without telling CSCA who you are and without providing CSCA with any information about yourself. However, certain anonymous information (“Anonymous Information”) may be collected by CSCA automatically. For example, CSCA’s Web servers may collect the IP address and the name of the Internet service provider (“ISP”) associated with the computer from which you accessed a Site, the type and version of Web browser and operating system that you are using, and the address of the Web site that you visited prior to the CSCA Site. If your Web browser is configured to accept cookies, CSCA may place either temporary cookies (only until you exit your current browser window) or permanent cookies (until you manually disable or delete the cookie using your browser software) on your computer. A “cookie” is a small piece of information that a CSCA Web server automatically sends to your browser for storage on your computer, which then permits a CSCA Web server to recall information about your preferences as a part of the Anonymous Information. Please note that portions of the CSCA Site may not function if you do not accept cookies.
With the exception of the Anonymous Information described above, you will always know when CSCA is collecting information from you and therefore have the opportunity not to provide the information.
Use of Information by CSCA
Personal information collected by CSCA is primarily used for the purpose of:
(a) identifying you as a user of one or more of the CSCA Site;
(b) updating you about the Site and other products and services of CSCA and its partners, and otherwise developing, marketing, recommending or providing products or services;
(c) understanding the ways in which CSCA can improve its products and services;
(d) answering your questions and providing you with products and services that you have requested;
(e) determining appropriate new features, content or services for the Site as well as other products and services of CSCA, including through the use of market research and surveys;
(f) meeting any legal, regulatory, processing or security requirements that involve use or disclosure of your personal information; and
(g) such other purposes as are disclosed to you at the time that personal information is collected from you.
Anonymous Information may be used to serve you with targeted advertising on the Site.
The CSCA Site may contain links to other sites, including those of CSCA’s vendors, advertisers and other business partners, that are not governed by this Privacy Statement. CSCA is not responsible for the content of, or the privacy practices employed by, other websites.
You should be aware that when you voluntarily disclose personal information by posting any information on a Site, including on any blogs, chat areas or bulletin boards, such information can be collected and used by others and may result in unsolicited messages from third parties.
If you contact CSCA, a record may be kept of the correspondence but CSCA will not make any use of the email address or other contact information, other than to respond to the communication, unless consent has separately been obtained for such other use.
Your Consent
CSCA does not collect, use or disclose your personal information without your consent except where required or permitted by law. CSCA will not require you to consent to the collection, use or disclosure of personal information as a condition to the supply of any products or services, except to the extent reasonably required to fulfill the purposes identified in this Privacy Policy or otherwise identified at the time that CSCA collects your personal information.
The way in which CSCA obtains your consent depends on the circumstances and the type of information collected. Express consent is generally obtained when the personal information is likely to be considered sensitive. Consent may also be implied by the circumstances. For example, when CSCA receives personal information from you that enables CSCA to provide you with a requested product or service, your consent to allow CSCA to deal with that personal information in a reasonable manner would be implied.
You may withdraw your consent to the continued collection, use or disclosure of your personal information by CSCA at any time by emailing info@thecsca.com, but such a request would be subject to legal or contractual restrictions. CSCA would also require reasonable advance notice to effect any requested changes. A request that CSCA no longer collect or use your personal information may mean that CSCA will no longer have practical means to provide you with certain services or products. You may no longer be able to log in to a Site or may lose certain functionality when visiting a Site, including functionality that depends on Anonymous Information such as the placement of cookies.
If you withdraw your consent to the disclosure of personal information that you have previously authorized CSCA to share with others, you should know that others may already have retained a copy of your personal information in their own systems and databases.
Retention of Information
CSCA maintains record retention practices and policies which apply to personal information that is no longer necessary or relevant for the identified purposes, or that is no longer required or permitted by law to be retained.
Your consent to CSCA’s collection, storage, use or disclosure of your personal information remains valid even after the termination of CSCA’s relationship with you, unless you provide CSCA with written notice that such consent is withdrawn.
All personal information destroyed or erased from our records is done so securely with due regard to the sensitivity of the information.
Disclosure of Information
CSCA will not sell, trade, rent or license personal information that you provide.
In providing its services, CSCA may need to disclose your personal information to service providers or agents who perform various functions for CSCA.
CSCA will not otherwise disclose your personal information to third parties except to the extent reasonably required to fulfill the purposes clearly identified at the time that CSCA collects the personal information. For example, during the administration of a contest, CSCA may share certain personal information that CSCA collects from you with a party sponsoring the contest, but this will be clearly set out as a part of the contest description or rules.
CSCA may from time to time use third party service providers to process certain data, such as mailing lists or credit card transactions. Third party service providers are required to comply with privacy laws and principles comparable to CSCA’s. All credit card transactions are completed using secure electronic encryption. Credit card and other personal information may be transmitted to third party data processing companies or servers located outside of Canada and may be subject to the laws of those jurisdictions regarding disclosure.
Access and Accuracy and Update of Personal Information
You are responsible for advising CSCA of any inaccuracies or changes to your personal information.
Upon request made in writing, CSCA will inform you of the existence, use and disclosure of your personal information, at minimal or no cost to you, in accordance with processes and procedures that CSCA has put in place for such requests. If you are unsure whether CSCA has a record containing your personal information and would like to confirm what personal information CSCA has, please send your request to info@thecsca.com. If there is a cost involved, CSCA will inform you at that time.
CSCA may require additional information from you in order to verify your identity following an access request. Such personal information will only be used for the purpose of identity verification and will itself be subject to protection under the terms of this Privacy Statement.
In some circumstances, CSCA may not be able to provide access to all of the personal information that CSCA holds about you. CSCA may not provide access to information if doing so would likely reveal personal information about a third party, could be expected to threaten the life or security of an individual, reveal confidential commercial information, if the information is protected by a legally recognized privilege, if it was created as part of a settlement or dispute resolution process, or if it was collected in relation to the investigation of a breach of an agreement or a contravention of law. CSCA will provide reasons to you if it refuses an access request.
Safeguards
Where CSCA considers it appropriate, having due regard to the sensitivity of the particular information that CSCA collects, uses or discloses, CSCA uses encryption or authentication tools, among other methods, practices and procedures, to protect certain your personal information irrespective of which format it is stored in.
CSCA’s service providers and agents are required to maintain client confidentiality and may not use or disclose any information provided to them by CSCA for any unauthorized purpose.
Changes To Our Privacy Statement
CSCA reserves the right to modify or supplement this Privacy Statement at any time. If CSCA makes any material change to this Privacy Statement, CSCA will update the applicable Site to include such changes. Please look at the top of this Privacy Policy to check the date that it was updated and to confirm that you are familiar with the terms of the most recent update. Your continued use of a Site after CSCA posts notice of a change to the Privacy Statement, will constitute your acceptance of the new terms and their application to your use of the Site and the personal information disclosed for such use, including personal information previously furnished, as if they were the initial terms, and your consent to the use of your personal information as described in this Privacy Statement.
CSCA will always seek your consent if CSCA wishes to use your personal information for purposes other than for those set out in this Privacy Policy or to which you have previously agreed.
Contact CSCA
CSCA will make information about its policies and practices relating to management of personal information readily available. Please direct any questions about CSCA privacy policies and procedures, any requests for access to records of your personal information and any other privacy related concerns or complaints to info@thecsca.com If you contact CSCA by telephone, please note that telephone calls may be recorded for training or quality assurance purposes.