DPW 2022: How your data is disclosed
DPW 2022: How your data is disclosed
Can UBC employees disclose personal information to other employees? How about a student’s parents? Or the police?
Under the privacy law that governs UBC (Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, or FIPPA) there are detailed rules governing when we are allowed to disclose personal information. Disclosing personal information without authority is a serious matter. The really important thing for you to remember is that disclosure inside UBC is authorized on a “need to know” basis whereas disclosure outside UBC is only authorized in rare circumstances.
Disclosure inside UBC
UBC faculty and staff are authorized to share personal information if they have a 'need' to know this information. It’s not enough for them to be curious; they only have a right to see the information if it is necessary to do their job.
Disclosure outside UBC
Disclosure outside UBC is much more tightly controlled than disclosure inside the organization. Personal information may only be disclosed to people outside UBC in exceptional circumstances. For example:
- With the consent of the individual, the information is about
- Court orders
- Law enforcement investigations
- Health or safety reasons
If you are a UBC employee who has been asked to disclose personal information outside UBC, please ensure that you have the authority to do so. If you have any questions about this, you should email access.and.privacy@ubc.ca.
In an emergency, keep in mind that safety always trumps privacy. Faculty and staff have an obligation to disclose personal information to the extent necessary to prevent harm to people’s health or safety.
Where to go for information:
To learn more about disclosure of personal information by UBC, please review our Fact Sheets:
- Disclosing Personal Information for Health and Safety Reasons
- Disclosing Personal Information to Law Enforcement Agencies and Government Bodies
Data Privacy Day
On January 28, 2022, from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm, the Privacy Matters @ UBC team will discuss data privacy in more detail.
We strongly encourage all UBC faculty and staff to register for this event and join the conversation.
Visit https://privacymatters.ubc.ca/dpw2022 for more information.