Canada

PIPEDA

Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act

PIPEDA is Canada’s federal private-sector privacy law. It sets out how organisations must collect, use and disclose personal information in commercial activity, including the consent needed for tracking and advertising cookies. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) oversees it.

At a glance

Opt-in for advertising

Region
Canada
Status
In force since 2001, fully since 2004
Penalties
Fines of up to CAD 100,000 for some offences, such as knowingly breaking the breach reporting rules. Bill C-36, introduced in June 2026 and not yet passed, would replace these rules, with penalties of up to the greater of CAD 10 million or 3% of global revenue, and fines of up to the greater of CAD 25 million or 5%.
Who it affects
Private-sector organisations that collect, use or disclose personal information in commercial activity in Canada. Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec have their own laws for activity within the province, but PIPEDA still applies to federally regulated businesses and to data that crosses provincial or national borders.

What PIPEDA requires

  • Obtain meaningful consent. Get express consent when the information is sensitive, the use falls outside what people would reasonably expect, or it creates a meaningful risk of significant harm.
  • Explain tracking for behavioural advertising clearly, at or before collection, and offer an easy opt-out that takes effect at once and lasts. Limit that tracking to non-sensitive information.
  • Identify the purposes for collection before or at the time of collection.
  • Limit collection to what is necessary for the stated purposes.
  • Allow individuals to access and challenge the accuracy of their information.
  • Safeguard personal information with appropriate security measures.
  • Be open about your policies and practices.

What the banner does here

Advertising and profiling cookies wait for consent. Implied consent covers low-sensitivity tracking. You can change this per category.

How GrantCookie covers it

  • Scheduled scans. The scanner finds the cookies and trackers your site sets, sorts them into categories and re-checks on every scheduled scan, so the banner asks about what is really there.
  • Provable records. Every choice is timestamped and stored with the banner version the visitor saw. Paid plans include consent log export.
  • Withdrawing consent. A re-open control stays on every page, so visitors can withdraw or change their choice at any time.
The consent log: each row has a timestamp in UTC, a consent ID and the visitor’s choice

This page is general guidance. It is not legal advice. Check your specific obligations with a qualified adviser.

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