Privacy Policy
Whether you are visiting the Website to obtain access to resources and information or contacting us for additional information, we are committed to respecting your privacy.
This Privacy Policy was last updated December 19, 2012.
Here are the main things you need to know:
- We only collect and use personal information with consent
- When we ask for personal information, we explain why we need it and what we will do with it
- We only collect, use and share personal information for reasonable purposes
- We do not collect, use or share more personal information than we need to
- We take reasonable measures to protect the personal information we have
- You can access your personal information upon request
- We are committed to being open with you about our privacy practices – if you have a question or concern about our privacy practices that is not answered by reading this page and visiting the links within it, send your privacy question or concern to: Contact us – Privacy Officer
What we use information for:
All personal information we receive through the operation of this Website is used to operate and administer this Website, respond to inquiries and information sent to us, and ensure users can use the Website. We may also group information we receive into categories to generate statistics and perform research. We do this to identify trends and to help us figure out what other information or features should be included on or through this Website.
Who we share information with:
We take your privacy seriously and we do not share your information with others, except in very limited circumstances. The objective of this Website and our organization is to protect youth from harm, so if you tell us something that gives us reason to suspect that someone under the age of 18 may be at risk of harm or in need of protection, or where someone over 18 may be at risk of self-harm, we may share that information for the purpose of protecting or helping the person at risk of harm or in need of protection. In those cases, the information we have may be shared with police, child welfare agencies or others we have good reason to believe can help. But we will not share more information than we need to, and we will not share information unless we reasonably believe such sharing is necessary to protect or help the person at risk or in need of protection.
We will also collect, use and share personal information if we have reason to suspect unlawful activity, where a user is abusing the features of this Website, or where a user’s activity is jeopardizing the availability of the Website.
More detail can be obtained by selecting from the tabs below.
What is Personal Information?
You may not realize it, but whenever you use any Website or service, you may be sharing personal information. Personal information is any information about you that could be used to identify you – things like your name, address, and email address are obvious examples, but sometimes it’s not so obvious. A screen name or character name, for example, can be personal information when combined with other information. So can details about where you go to school, what team you play for, who your teacher is … you get the picture.
Why do Privacy Policies matter?
In Canada, we have privacy laws that say that any organization that handles personal information in the course of making money or conducting business has to tell people why it wants the information, what it is doing with it and who it might be shared with. For most provinces, the law that applies is called the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (aka PIPEDA) but it goes by a different name in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec. The basic principles are essentially the same regardless of where in Canada you live.
It is because of these laws that most organizations have privacy policies. If you look carefully, you’ll notice that almost every Website or business you visit online has one somewhere – usually you can find a link to it at the bottom of each page of the Website.
We have a privacy policy too, because we think it is important that you to understand what information we collect, why we collect it, and how we will use it. See the next section “How to Use” to learn more about how the Privacy Policy for this Website is set up and how you can learn more about it.
How this Policy is set up:
We know you do not want to spend a lot of time reading a privacy policy. But there are things you need to know, so we’ve tried to make it a bit easier by setting this Privacy Policy up as a set of links with the information you need to know right at the beginning. Below is a brief description of what you will find at each link:
“Privacy Statement” is the first thing you see whenever you click on the words “Privacy Policy” from the bottom of each page on this Website. It is short and to the point, and is meant to give you the main details of our privacy practices that you need to know.
“About Privacy” gives you background information about what personal information is, and why a privacy policy is important.
“How to Use” is this page, and it describes the information that can be found at each link within this Privacy Policy.
“About Us” explains who we are and what the purpose of this Website is.
“Consent” explains that consent is needed for us to collect, use or share your information, and that consent is implied for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy.
“Purposes” tells you what personal information we collect, why we collect it, and what we do with it. This section has the most detailed information in it. To make it easier to find what you need, this part is divided into more sections so you can just click on how YOU are using this Website and don’t have to read a bunch of information about things that don’t concern you.
“Protecting and Sharing” tells you the steps we take to protect your personal information, and tells you who your information may be shared with, and why.
“Questions” tells you how you can get more information if the above links did not answer your question or address your concern.
The bottom line is: you can choose how much you want to know by how much you read. And if you read this information and you still have questions about your privacy and this Website, you can always just ask us!
Who We Are
The NeedHelpNow.ca Website (the “Website”) is owned and operated by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection Inc. (the “Canadian Centre”). The Canadian Centre is a charitable organization dedicated to the personal safety of all children. The goal of the Canadian Centre is to reduce child victimization by providing programs and services to the Canadian public.
Intended Audience and Purpose of Website
This Website is intended for use by Canadian youth age 13–17, and the parents, educators and other adults working with youth in this age group. The primary purpose of this site is to provide Canadian youth (grade 7 and higher) and their parents and educators with information and resources to assist with situations where sexual pictures or videos may have been created and then sent electronically or posted online. The Website also provides a link to our reporting website, Cybertip!ca, so that individuals may report their concerns when the situation has gone too far – such as when threats, intimidation or blackmail are involved.
We do not collect, use or share your information without your knowledge and consent. When you use this Website or submit information to us, it is implied that you have consented to the use of your information for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. If we ask you for personal information, and we plan to use it for a reason other than the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, we will tell you why we are asking for the information and what we want to do with it at the time we ask for it. If you then provide us with the information we ask for, your consent is implied.
There may be times where you choose to share information that we do not ask for. You can be confident that even if we did not ask you for the information, we will still only use it for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy unless we first get your consent to do something different.
Exception to consent:
In certain circumstances, personal information may be collected, used or shared without knowledge and consent. Examples of the type of circumstances where this exception would apply are as follows:
- We may collect, use or share personal information if it is clearly in the interests of the individual and consent cannot be obtained in a timely way, such as when the individual is a minor, seriously ill or mentally incapacitated.
- We may collect, use or share personal information if seeking the consent of the individual might defeat the purpose of collecting the information, such as where the Website has been (or is in the process of being) hacked, compromised or misused, or where it is reasonably suspected that a law has been or will be broken.
- We may use or disclose personal information without knowledge or consent in the case of an emergency where the life, health or security of an individual is threatened.
- We may disclose personal information without knowledge or consent to a lawyer representing us, to comply with a subpoena, warrant or other court order, or as may be otherwise required by law.
This section is meant to help you understand the type of information we may collect and why.
Why We Collect, Use or Share Personal Information
The primary reason that we collect and use personal information received through this Website is to help direct you to appropriate information to assist you with the problem you are dealing with. We also collect and use information to operate and administer this Website, understand the needs of Website users and provide a positive user experience.
Personal information is also used to respond to inquiries or requests for more information or guidance. Sometimes, details shared through an inquiry may include information that gives us reason to suspect that someone under the age of 18 may be at risk of harm or in need of protection and as such, ought to have been included in a report to Cybertip!ca. Or, information shared may indicate that someone over 18 may be at risk of self-harm. In such cases, the information provided may be shared with police, child welfare agencies or others we have good reason to believe can help.
Finally, this Website was created to further our goal of protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation so we also collect and use information for that purpose. For example, we may use information to perform research on issues related to the subject matter of this Website and assess information to help us identify trends, overall user needs and areas for further education.
We also collect, use and disclose information to meet legal and regulatory requirements.
We will not collect, use or share your personal information for purposes other than as set out in this Privacy Policy without first obtaining your consent, except where we have reason to suspect that someone under the age of 18 is or may be at risk of harm or in need of protection, or where someone over 18 may be at risk of self-harm, or in the circumstances described in the “Consent” section. We will not keep your personal information for longer than needed for the purpose it was collected.
What Information We Collect and How We Use it:
The information we collect and how we use it will vary based on how you use the site and what information you provide. When we collect information, we will not collect more than we need for the purposes we have identified in this policy, and we will collect information by fair and legal means.
The sections below set out the different categories of users and provide more detail about what information is collected and how it is used. Click on a link to find out more about the category of user you are, and also see the tab titled “Protecting and Sharing” for more information about how we protect information and who we may share it with.
Information collected from all users:
All information provided by the computer used to access the Website during a visit is collected and used by us to help us better understand our audience and how our site is being used and accessed. This helps us to improve the site for subsequent users and deliver content in the appropriate format during such visits.
The information collected is aggregated (grouped together) and non-personally identifying (i.e. doesn’t have things like names or email addresses attached to it). It includes information like search terms used, pages accessed, date and time of visit, referring site, operating system, web browser, IP address and other incidental matters such as screen resolution, the release of the computer’s installed Flash version and the language setting of the browser. Session cookies are used to gather some of the information, and some of the information is delivered automatically by the computer. Where a session cookie is used, it only provides information about that session’s visit to our Website.
The above information is used to compile statistical information about the use of the Website to enable us to improve the user experience, identify trends, perform research and help us more effectively target communication and awareness activities. Also see the section below “Use of information to protect an individual or the Website”.
When you submit information to us through this Website:
If you submit any information to us using this Website, we collect the information provided including the text of the message (which may contain personal information, like an email address or name, depending on what you entered in the message). We then use that information to assess the issue raised and respond in a responsible manner. Also see the section below “Use of information to protect an individual or the Website”.
When you participate in a project or contest:
If you participate in a project or contest and submit personal information, we collect, use and disclose that information solely for the purpose of evaluating the submission or processing the contest entry.
About contact information:
In cases where contact information is included in a submission to the Website, we generally collect, use and disclose that information only for the purpose of responding to the submission. We do not use contact information to create mailing lists or communicate with you other than in connection with communication you made with us. Also see the section below “Use of information to protect an individual or the Website”.
Use of information to protect an individual or the Website
All of the information collected is primarily used for the purposes set out in the above sections, however information may also be used if the information may be of assistance to help protect an individual or our system, such as if we have reason to suspect:
- that someone under the age of 18 is or may be at risk of harm or in need of protection;
- that someone over 18 may be at risk of self-harm;
- unlawful activity; or
- that our Website is being or has been compromised or misused.
How We Protect Personal Information
We have security safeguards in place designed to protect personal information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, use or modification. Such safeguarding measures include, but are not limited to, alarm systems, locked cabinets, computer passwords, firewalls and encryption. Also, only those employees who require personal information for business reasons are granted access to personal information.
All transmitted information is protected using measures that are reasonable given the sensitivity of the information. However, Website users should be aware that the Internet is a public network, and as such cannot be considered 100% secure.
Who We Share Personal Information With
We do not sell the personal information we receive, and we do not share personal information with third parties except in limited circumstances as explained in this policy. For example, information may be shared with law enforcement and/or child welfare agencies for any applicable investigation or follow-up where there is reason to suspect:
- that someone under the age of 18 is or may be at risk of harm or in need of protection
- that someone over 18 may be at risk of self-harm
- unlawful activity; or
- that our Website is being or has been compromised or misused.
We may also share information with emergency services in emergency situations, and we may share information as required or permitted by an applicable law or court order.
Where something that you have submitted to us gives us reason to suspect that someone under the age of 18 may be at risk of harm or otherwise in need of protection, or that someone over 18 may be at risk of self-harm we may report that information to law enforcement and/or child welfare or others that we believe can help. In such cases, any contact information that may have been included in the submission, together with any other information collected during the use of the Website or the features of the Website that can be associated with the user, may be shared as appropriate.
Personal information would not be shared with third parties beyond police and child welfare except where it is reasonably believed, based on the information we have, that such action is needed to protect a person under the age of 18, or to protect an adult from self-harm.
Finally, for security purposes and to ensure this service remains available to all users, personal information may be shared with the appropriate law enforcement agency(ies): where we detect an attempt to compromise the security or availability of this Website; where usage patterns indicate that the Website may be being abused by a user; and whenever we have reasonable grounds to believe that a user has intentionally supplied false or misleading information.
Most research and other activities are performed internally by staff. If an external expert is used, reasonable contractual, technical and other safeguards are put into place before any information is shared, and the information that is shared is limited to that which is reasonably necessary to accomplish the objective.
Questions and Concerns
We are committed to protecting personal information within our control and have a privacy officer who is responsible for making sure we follow this Privacy Policy.
If you have any questions or concerns about our privacy practices, please send a letter outlining your concerns to:
Privacy Officer, Canadian Centre for Child Protection Inc.
615 Academy Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3N 0E7
You may also submit your question by contacting us through the Privacy Contact page accessible from protectchildren.ca/app/en/privacy_contact.
Also, upon written request, you may access your personal information, and you will be able to challenge the accuracy and completeness of your information and have it amended accordingly. To protect your personal information, reasonable steps will be taken to verify your identity before any personal information can be accessed. For information submitted through the Website that we subsequently share with law enforcement or child welfare as outlined under this policy, access may be limited. The reason access may be limited is because we need to guard against the release of information about where illegal content may be found; and ensure that any potential investigation into the matter reported is not jeopardized. As a result, for information of this nature, the Canadian Centre may not permit access to any details other than confirming that a submission was made and the time and date the submission was made. By way of example, information such as what was in the submission, whether the submission was shared with law enforcement or child welfare, or whether the submission did or did not relate to illegal images is not released to any person other than law enforcement, child welfare, or a court that issues a valid order for the release of such information. Exceptions to the above may be made upon consultation with the appropriate law enforcement or child welfare agency.
