ONF - Security and Privacy Policy

Security and Privacy Policy

The National Film Board of Canada gives the utmost importance to the privacy of visitors to our Web sites. We diligently follow Canadian government policies with regards to security and privacy. We stay abreast of the latest technologies and best practices in the industry to provide you with a reliable and safe Internet experience.

When you enter our Site, you are anonymous and will remain that way unless you choose otherwise. Please read the following text explaining the rules governing your visit. If you are under the age of majority in your province of domicile, please show this section to your parents or legal guardians.

• Principles
• Kinds of information we collect
• What are cookies and how does the NFB use them
• Disclosure of information to third parties
• Links to other sites
• Security
• How to access, edit or delete your personal information
• Revisions to the Privacy Policy
• Legal Conditions
• Who to contact about this Privacy Policy 

Principles

The NFB is an agent of the federal Crown and complies with the Canadian Privacy Act (R.S. 1985 c. P-21), which protects personal information from improper use and disclosure and gives individuals the right to request access to information about themselves, to request correction of their personal information if they feel it contains errors or omissions, or to have their personal information removed from personal information banks.

Kinds of information we collect

There are two kinds of information that Web sites can obtain about you: aggregate information and personal information.

Aggregate information
Aggregate information is anonymous data that Web sites use to help improve the quality of the Web pages and to administer the Site.

We at nfb.ca collect certain aggregate information such as your IP address (a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you enter our site), browser type (e.g. Firefox or Internet Explorer) and domain name (e.g. xyz.com). We do this in the background so it does not affect your navigation speed. None of this information is connected with personal information about you. The NFB performs statistical analyses of user behaviour in order to measure interest in and use of the various sections of its Site (e.g. number of visitors per page, length of time spent on page) so as to improve design and navigation and to help diagnose problems. Only aggregate data is used for this purpose.

Personal information
Personal information is any information that personally identifies you. It could be your first and last name, your e-mail address, your home address, your telephone number, your fax number, your credit card number, information contained in a résumé, or your personal views and opinions.

Such personal information is needed when, for instance, you order products online, participate in a forum or an interactive experience, or electronically apply for a job at the NFB, or if we need to reply to you.

When you order products online and supply a credit card number, this number is encrypted and transmitted to Scotia Bank through BCE Emergis. Credit card numbers are used only for processing payment and are not retained for any other purpose.

We may also occasionally ask you to voluntarily provide us with other demographic information or information about your interest in and use of various products. This enables us to give you more appropriate information or more personalized service. If you prefer not to receive personalized service and information from this Site, see How to access, edit or delete your personal information.

You may also submit another person's name and address when ordering our products as gifts. This type of personal information about other people will be used only to send the product to the person in question. This information will not be used for any other purpose.

We will always inform you when personal information is required in order to obtain a service. If we are asking for mandatory information, we will mark it with an asterisk (*). If there is no asterisk, you need not provide the information.

What are cookies and how does the NFB use them

"Cookies" are small text files that are saved on your computer's hard drive when you access certain Web sites or certain parts of Web sites. By means of cookies, a Web site can recognize repeat users, facilitate the user's access to and use of the site and allow a site to track usage behaviour so as to improve content.

The NFB uses cookies to recognize you when you return to our Site and let you save your password for password-protected areas and use a shopping cart. We will not use cookies to track non-NFB usage.

If you do not want a cookie placed on your computer by the NFB, it is your responsibility to set your browser to disable cookies. However, this may result in your being unable to access some aspects of the NFB site. Refer to your Internet browser's manual to learn how to complete this task.

If you are willing to accept cookies but wish to be informed first, you can set your browser to give you a warning prompt. Refer to your Internet browser's manual to learn how to complete this task.

Disclosure of information to third parties

Personal information provided to the NFB is never sold or rented. We will disclose information we maintain only if so required by a subpoena, warrant or court order. Otherwise, personal information provided to the NFB will never be passed on to third parties without the prior knowledge and consent of the person concerned.

If we ever need to share personal information with a third party (e.g. if we ask a consultant to conduct a survey for us), we will always let you know that the information will be shared and what it will be used for. It will then be up to you to decide whether to provide the information or not.

As a government institution subject to the Canadian Privacy Act (R.S. 1985 c. P-21), we must notify the Privacy Commissioner in writing of any disclosure of personal information before using that information for a purpose other than that for which it was obtained.

Links to other sites

Our Web site may contain links to suitable third-party Web sites. However, the linked sites are not under the control of the NFB, and we are not responsible for the content of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site.

Security

At nfb.ca, whenever you send us personal information, we immediately make every effort to ensure its security on our systems. Any personal information you give us is kept in secure files. Access is limited to authorized employees on a need-to-know basis. Any time we ask for a credit card number, it is transmitted in an encrypted format to BCE Emergis, which is linked to Scotia Bank. Scotia Bank and BCE Emergis provide banking services and credit card payment processing to the Government of Canada and its departments and agencies. We support industry-standard SSL (secure socket layer) 40-bit and 128-bit encryption.

But remember, you must also protect yourself against the unauthorized use of your credit card, nfb.ca ID and password. Please keep in mind that your ID and password are the link to your file or account with us and the personal information it contains. Please take care when using and storing them. The NFB recommends that you not divulge your password to anyone.

How to access, edit or delete your personal information

If you have an account with us or a subscriber profile, you can access your file and modify your information or deactivate your option to receive information from us, by using your nfb.ca ID and password.

If you wish to access personal information collected about you, inform us of changes to personal information previously provided, or even remove your personal information from our database, please send an e-mail to Webmaster@nfb.ca.

The person in charge of answering your request in regards to the Security and Privacy policy is:

Benoit Du Berger
National Film Board of Canada
Interactive Services and Relational Marketing
3155 Côte-de-liesse Road,
Montreal, Qc
H4N 2N4
514-283-9250

Revisions to the Privacy Policy

By using this Site, you are agreeing to the terms and conditions of the NFB Privacy Policy. As our Site is constantly evolving, we reserve the right to modify this policy at any time without prior notice. Please check this page periodically for any changes. This Privacy Policy serves as an expression of our commitment to protecting personal information. We invite you to consult it regularly.

Legal Conditions

We encourage you to read about the conditions governing your use of our Site and the conditions governing the sale of NFB products.

Read Legal Terms

Who to contact about this Privacy Policy

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please write to Webmaster@nfb.ca.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the NFB, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner by sending an e-mail to info@privcom.gc.ca.