Introduction
Statistics Canada is preparing to launch an interactive consultation tool on its website for the purpose of engaging and seeking further input from Canadians by inviting them to discuss, comment and vote in a one-question online poll, titled "Question of the month," about one of the Agency's products, services or website features.
Objective
A privacy impact assessment for the Interactive Online Consultation Tool was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality and security issues associated with the tool, and if so, to make recommendations for their resolution or mitigation.
Description
The Interactive Online Consultation Tool will be made available in the Consulting Canadians module (http://www.statcan.gc.ca/interaction/consultation/).
Participants are asked to provide a user name (alias) and their email address, which may be used to correspond with them if required, and indicate by checking a box whether they wish to participate in Statistics Canada's future consultations (excluding the online "Question of the month" poll).
The online poll comment sections will be moderated. Users will be informed that their comments will be held until they are vetted by the moderator.
Unregistered visitors may also indicate their wish to take part in consultations by filling out an electronic form available from the left-hand menu of the Consulting Canadians module. Participants who indicated a wish to participate in consultations may be invited via email by Statistics Canada's Consultation Services in Communications Division to participate in a consultation.
Conclusion
This assessment of the Interactive Online Consultation Tool did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using existing safeguards.