Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

A. PIPEDA

The Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC) is committed to respecting the privacy of our supporters, their families, and our employees by adhering to the privacy principles set forth in the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Those principles are:

1. Accountability

MCSC collects, uses, and discloses personal information in accordance with the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), which Alberta has deemed substantially similar to PIPEDA. A dedicated Privacy Officer to oversee our privacy program, ensure transparency, and address any questions or complaints about our practices.

2. Identifying purposes

MCSC, at or before the time personal information is collected, will identify the purpose for which personal information is collected. The primary purposes are fundraising, statistics, and meeting legal and regulatory requirements. Specifically, this includes processing gifts, issuing receipts, mailing of newsletters, direct mail, telemarketing, sending invitations to events, informing donors about new products or services, and maintaining a list of supporters as required by the Canada Corporations Act.

When personal information that has been collected is to be used for a purpose not previously identified, the new purpose will be identified prior to use. Unless the law requires the new purpose, the consent of the individual is required before information can be used for that purpose.

3. Consent

All donors have the ability to consent to the use of their personal information. MCSC makes a reasonable effort to ensure that individuals are advised of the purposes for which information will be used. MCSC will assume consent is granted unless a member indicates otherwise.

Individuals may withdraw consent in many ways. For example:

• By calling us at 1-800-661-6160
• By sending an email to info @ mcsc.ca (omit spaces)
• In writing
• An individual may withdraw consent at any time.

 3.b. MCSC rescu App Use of Information

How will my personal information be used? – When using the rescu app, community volunteers have the option to register a 10-digit phone number and postal code or location of choice to get notified via SMS when a high-risk child is missing in the area. Registered phone numbers may also be used to send occasional messages with news or updates, or related to improving the effectiveness of the rescu app such as invitations to participate in surveys. No other information is collected or used for any reason. Should users choose to unsubscribe from the MCSC rescu app, go to MCSC rescu register page in your browser and use the drop-down option to select ‘Unsubscribe’. You can also unsubscribe through the mobile app, by clicking the 'Bell' icon in the bottom right corner, and using the drop-down option, and selecting ‘Unsubscribe’.

Will my location be tracked in real-time? – No, MCSC rescu only requires you to enter a location once during the registration process if you choose to volunteer. When you travel to a different location, you will only receive an SMS alert for the location you initially specified during registration.

4. Limiting Collection

MCSC will limit its collection of personal information to the purposes outlined in Principle 2 above. If it is necessary to use the personal information collected for a purpose not identified when the information was collected, consent for the new use will be obtained from the donor.

5. Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention of Personal Information

Personal information will not be used or disclosed for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with the consent of the individual, or as required by law.

Personal information will be retained by MCSC for whatever periods are required by legislation governing our operation and/or the information provided, after which time (unless consent is given to keep information for a longer period) the information will be anonymized or destroyed in a secure manner. Personal information regarding donors of planned gifts will be kept until the death of the donor, plus ten years.

6. Accuracy

Personal information will be as accurate, complete, and up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used.

7. Safeguards

MCSC has security safeguards in place that protect personal information against loss or theft, as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification. MCSC will protect personal information regardless of the format in which it is held. Methods of protection include:

• Physical measures, for example, locked filing cabinets and restricted access to offices and donor-related materials;
• Organizational measures, for example, limiting access on a “need-to-know” basis, and
• Technological measures, for example, the use of passwords, multi-factor authentication, and secure managed online services;
• MCSC makes its employees aware of the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of personal information.

8. Openness

This statement and the processes and procedures for obtaining access to personal information will be available to any individual through our web site, and/or on request. If any individual has a question regarding personal information, it may be directed to the Chief Privacy Officer.

9. Individual Access

On request, an individual will be informed of the existence, use and disclosure of their personal information, and will be given access to that information. An individual may challenge the accuracy and completeness of the information, and have it corrected or amended as appropriate.

An individual will be required to provide sufficient information to permit MCSC to provide an account of the existence, use, and disclosure of personal information.

MCSC will respond to an individual’s request within a reasonable time and at minimal or no cost to the individual.

10. Challenging Compliance

Individuals may challenge MCSC’s compliance with this statement by contacting the Chief Privacy Officer.

B. MCSC WEBSITE

Donations and purchases made through the MCSC website are processed by a third-party payment processor, Canada Helps (https://www.canadahelps.org/en/privacy-policy/). MCSC does not store or directly handle payment information. The third party adheres to industry-standard security practices to protect donor information. Transaction details provided during the donation process may be shared with MCSC for record-keeping and future communications with MCSC supporters, consistent with the purposes outlined above. MCSC maintains a secure web interface at all points where personal information is collected.

MCSC does not collect or distribute the email addresses of visitors to our web page. MCSC does collect aggregate information on which pages visitor’s access or visit, and information volunteered by the visitor, such as survey information and/or site registrations. The information we collect is used to improve the content of our Web page and is not shared with other organizations.

With respect to security, MCSC always uses industry-standard or better encryption technologies when transferring and receiving consumer data exchanged with our site. We have appropriate security measures in place in our physical facilities to protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of information that we have collected from you at our site.

C. CONTACTING MCSC

Missing Children Society of Canada

1270 73 Avenue SE

Calgary, Alberta T2H 2V5

Tel. (800) 661-6160

Fax. (403) 291-9728

Email: info@mcsc.ca