✅PIPEDA Compliant
SM-Compare adheres to all ten fair information principles established under PIPEDA.
1. PIPEDA Overview
The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) is Canada's federal privacy law governing how private-sector organizations collect, use, and disclose personal information in the course of commercial activities.
SM-Compare is fully committed to complying with PIPEDA and its ten fair information principles. This page explains how we meet each requirement and what rights you have as a user of our platform.
2. Accountability
SM-Compare has designated a Privacy Officer who is responsible for our compliance with PIPEDA. Our Privacy Officer oversees all personal information handling practices and is your point of contact for privacy-related inquiries.
Privacy Officer email: privacy@smcompare.caAll staff with access to personal data complete annual privacy trainingThird-party service providers are bound by contractual privacy obligations3. Identifying Purposes
We identify the purposes for which personal information is collected at or before the time of collection. The primary purposes include:
Account management: Creating and maintaining your SM-Compare accountService delivery: Providing provider comparisons, trust scores, and review featuresCommunication: Sending account notifications and responding to your inquiriesPlatform improvement: Analyzing usage patterns to enhance our servicesLegal compliance: Meeting regulatory obligations under Canadian law
We will not use your information for a new purpose without obtaining your consent, unless required or permitted by law.
4. Consent
SM-Compare obtains meaningful consent before collecting, using, or disclosing your personal information. Depending on the sensitivity of the data and your reasonable expectations, we may rely on:
Express consent: For sensitive information such as financial details or health dataImplied consent: For information necessary to provide the services you requestedOpt-out consent: For non-essential uses such as marketing communications
You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions. To withdraw consent, visit your account settings or contact our Privacy Officer.
5. Limiting Collection
We limit the collection of personal information to what is necessary for the identified purposes. We do not collect information indiscriminately and we do not use deceptive or misleading practices to gather data.
We only request information required for platform functionalityOptional fields are clearly marked during registration and account setupAutomated data collection (cookies, analytics) is disclosed in our Privacy Policy6. Limiting Use, Disclosure & Retention
Personal information is used and disclosed only for the purposes for which it was collected, except with your consent or as required by law.
Data retention: We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the identified purposes or as required by lawAccount deletion: When you delete your account, personal information is purged within 30 days, except where retention is legally requiredThird-party sharing: We do not sell personal information. Disclosure to service providers is limited to what is necessary and governed by data-processing agreements7. Accuracy
SM-Compare takes reasonable steps to ensure personal information is accurate, complete, and up to date for the purposes for which it is used.
You can review and update your account information at any time through your profile settingsProvider data is regularly verified against authoritative sourcesWe encourage users to report inaccuracies so we can correct them promptly8. Safeguards
We protect personal information with security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the data:
Technical safeguards: TLS encryption in transit, AES-256 encryption at rest, regular security audits, intrusion detection systemsAdministrative safeguards: Role-based access controls, staff background checks, mandatory privacy training, incident response proceduresPhysical safeguards: Data hosted in Canadian data centres with ISO 27001 certification, restricted physical access, environmental controls9. Openness
SM-Compare makes its privacy practices readily available to the public. This includes:
A comprehensive Privacy Policy accessible from every page of the platformThis PIPEDA Compliance page outlining our commitmentsClear descriptions of data practices during account registration and consent collectionPrompt notification of any material changes to our privacy practices10. Individual Access & Challenging Compliance
You have the right to access the personal information we hold about you and to challenge its accuracy. To exercise this right:
Access requests: Submit a request to privacy@smcompare.ca or use the Data Export feature in your account settings. We will respond within 30 days.Corrections: If your information is inaccurate, you may request a correction. We will update our records and notify any third parties who received the data.Complaints: If you believe we have not met our PIPEDA obligations, you may file a complaint with our Privacy Officer. If unresolved, you may escalate to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at www.priv.gc.ca.