Office of the Foreign Influence Commissioner of Canada (OFICC)
Description
The Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act (FITAA) received Royal Assent in June 2024 and is now in force. The Act increases transparency and public awareness of foreign influence activities by establishing a public-facing registry of foreign influence arrangements maintained by an independent Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner. The Office of the Foreign Influence Commissioner of Canada was established to support this work.
Under the Act, “persons” (individuals or entities) engaged in an arrangement with a foreign principal to influence Canadian political and governmental processes are required to register. Select information provided through registration will be made publicly available online.
Why a privacy impact assessment was completed
FITAA involves the collection, use, disclosure, retention and disposal of personal information in support of program operations. In accordance with the Privacy Act, the Treasury Board Policy on Privacy Protection, and the Directive on Privacy Practices, a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) was conducted to assess privacy risks and ensure appropriate safeguards for the protection of personal information.
Additional information
The Privacy Impact Assessment identifies the following five privacy risks concerning the collection, use, retention, and disclosure of personal information under FITAA:
- Ensuring the personal information collected, including information received via tips, is necessary for program purposes;
- Ensuring the accuracy and reliability of personal information collected, particularly relating to third parties;
- Limiting access to personal information to authorized personnel with a need to know;
- Mitigating potential harms as a result of information published on the public registry; and
- Establishing and maintaining appropriate privacy training and awareness measures.
The Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Regulations specify what information will be collected and published on the registry. The Commissioner has discretion to exclude information from publication if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that it is false or misleading or that making it public would present a threat to personal safety.
The PIA identified mitigation measures to address these risks. OFICC has policies and procedures in place to mitigate improper use of information, such as utilizing processes to validate the accuracy of received information, limiting use of unverified information, developing access controls, training staff on Privacy Act compliance and limiting the amount of information published on the registry.
Related personal information banks
Provide the name and bank number of any relevant personal information banks or classes or record:
PS PPU 053 (Pending TBS Approval) - Office of the Foreign Influence Commissioner of Canada (OFICC): This bank describes information that’s collected for the administration of the Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act by OFICC.
For more information about this privacy impact assessment
Email: atip-aiprp@ps-sp.gc.ca
Phone: 613-991-2929
Mailing address: ATIP Coordinator, 269 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa, ON K1A 0P8
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