Introduction
The main purpose of the ERA-Travel tool is to collect travel information from prospective travelers. This information is used by travel clerks to book travel and process travel claims.
Description
With ERA-Travel, employees will launch travel requests and claims from their desktop and have it automatically routed through the system to the travel clerk responsible for the booking of hotel and flights. All communication will be in one place and the traveller can verify the status of their request. This tool provides more functionality to manage and optimise the travel process.
Objective
A privacy impact assessment for ERA-Travel was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality and security issues associated with the new tool, and to make recommendations for their resolution or mitigation as required. There is no change to the personal information elements currently collected by Statistics Canada for travel requests and claims.
Risk Area Identification and Categorization
The PIA also identifies the risk areas and categorizes the level of potential risk (level 1 representing the lowest level of potential risk and level 4, the highest) associated with the collection and use of personal information of employees.
- Type of program or activity – Level 2: Administration of program or activity and services.
- Type of personal information involved and context – Level 1: Only personal information, with no contextual sensitivities, collected directly from the individual or provided with the consent of the individual for disclosure under an authorized program.
- Program or activity partners and private sector involvement – Level 1: Within the institution (among one or more programs within the same institution).
- Duration of the program or activity – Level 3: Long-term program or activity.
- Program population – Level 1: The program's use of personal information for internal administrative purposes affects certain employees.
- Personal information transmission – Level 2: The personal information is used in a system that has connections to at least one other system.
- Technology and privacy: The tool uses same technology as other applications already developed by Statistics Canada.
- Privacy breach: There is a very low risk of a breach of some of the personal information being disclosed without proper authorization.
Conclusion
This privacy impact assessment did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using existing safeguards. Statistics Canada has ensured that there are measures in place that meet central agency and Statistics Canada security standards for the protection of personal information.