Website Privacy Notice

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The Federal Public Service Health Care Plan Administration Authority (the Administration Authority) is committed to providing a website that respects the privacy of visitors. This Privacy Notice summarizes the privacy practices for the Administration Authority’s online activities through the PSHCP website. All of the Administration Authority’s activities, including those related to member communications, are conducted pursuant to the responsibilities and powers outlined in Article 3 of the Letters Patent. Any personal information collected by this institution is governed by the Privacy Act.

Collection of Personal Information

Web servers automatically collect certain information about a visit to a website, including the visitor’s Internet Protocol (IP) address, which is a unique number assigned by Internet Service Providers to devices that access the Internet. Although the IP address on its own does not identify an individual, the Government of Canada considers IP addresses to be personal information, particularly when combined with other data collected by web servers.

Unless otherwise noted, the Administration Authority does not automatically gather any specific personal information from you, such as your name, telephone number or e-mail address. The Administration Authority would only obtain this type of information if you supplied it to us voluntarily, for example, by e-mail, written correspondence, or by filling in a form or online survey where such information could be submitted. Any information collected is used only for the purposes for which it was intended.

The Administration Authority does not sell or lend your information to any third party marketing group.

Digital Markers and Cookies

Digital markers, such as cookies or HTML5 web storage, are resources created by the visitor’s browser to remember certain pieces of information to reference during the same or subsequent visits to a website. The PSHCP website uses two types of digital markers:

  • Session cookies – No personal information is kept in session cookies and they are stored only in your browser’s temporary (cache) memory. When you log out of your session, the cookie is no longer valid and is discarded when you close your browser.
  • Persistent cookies – These are more permanent and can be re-read when you return to the site that placed them on your computer. The information in them is written onto your hard drive and remains there until the expiry date of the cookie. They are used to identify and provide personalized features (for example, to help us remember which official language you prefer) and for tracking traffic patterns to and from our site.

The cookies used do not allow the Administration Authority to identify individuals. You may adjust your browser settings to reject digital markers, including cookies, if you so choose. However, it may affect your ability to interact with the PSHCP website.

Web Analytics

Web analytics is the collection, analysis, measurement, and reporting of data about web traffic and visits for purposes of understanding and optimizing web usage.

The Administration Authority uses Google Analytics to gather information about traffic on the PSHCP website so that we can continue to develop the site to better suit your needs. The maximum retention period for any personal information gathered for the purpose of web analytics is 18 months, after which the information must be disposed of in accordance with section 6.2.23 of the Directive on Privacy Practices.

When your computer requests a PSHCP web page, our institution collects the following types of information through Google Analytics:

  • the originating IP address
  • the date and time of the page request
  • the type of browser used
  • the type of operating system used
  • the page(s) visited
  • the Internet address of the website from which you linked directly to our site, if applicable.

Your IP address is anonymized prior to being stored on Google’s servers in order to help safeguard your privacy. The information collected is de-personalized by resetting the last octet of a visitor’s IP address to zero. Please note that data collected by Google Analytics is stored in servers in the United States and may be subject to the governing legislation of that country (for example, the USA Patriot Act).

For further information about Google Analytics, please refer to the Google Analytics Privacy Policy.

Inquiring About These Practices

Any questions, comments, concerns or complaints you may have regarding the administration of the Privacy Act and privacy policies regarding the Administration Authority’s online presence may be directed to our Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator:

Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator
Public Service Health Care Plan Administration Authority
P.O. Box 2245, Station D
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5W4
atip-aiprp@pshcp.ca

If you are not satisfied with the Administration Authority’s response to your privacy concern, you may wish to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.