Introduction
Statistics Canada's Young Professionals Network periodically holds various challenges and contests to inspire innovation in how data are produced or released by Statistics Canada. The purpose of these contests and challenges is to engage participants and give them an opportunity to create innovative products with Statistics Canada data to enhance the public awareness of Statistics Canada's programs and services.
Description
The objective of the challenges and contests is to raise public awareness on the importance of statistics in the economic and social development of Canada. Participants or anyone that may be interested, can visit the Statistics Canada website for detailed information regarding the challenges and contests such as eligibility requirements, key dates, etc.
Participants register online and are asked to provide basic personal information. The use of participants' information is strictly limited to the purposes of the specific challenges and contests.
Objective
A privacy impact assessment (PIA) for Statistics Canada's Young Professionals Network challenges and contests was conducted to determine if there were any privacy, confidentiality and security issues associated with these challenges and contests, and if so, to make recommendations for their resolution or mitigation.
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 in the context of these challenges and contests.
- 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.
- Duration of the program or activity – Level 3: Long-term program or activity.
- Program population – Level 3: The program's use of personal information for external administrative purposes affects certain individuals.
- Personal information transmission – Level 4: The personal information is transmitted using wireless technologies.
- Technology and privacy: This activity does not involve the implementation of a new electronic system or the use of a new application or software, does not require any modifications to information technology (IT) legacy systems or the implementation of new technologies.
- Privacy breach: There is a very low risk of a breach of some of the personal information being disclosed.
Conclusion
This assessment of Statistics Canada's Young Professionals Network challenges and contests did not identify any privacy risks that cannot be managed using existing safeguards.