Privacy Policy

Table of Contents

Privacy Policy

Last update: May 28, 2024

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) gives the utmost importance to the privacy of users of our digital products. The NFB digital products include, without limiting, its websites, applications and other online and interactive works. We diligently follow Canadian government policies with regards to privacy. We stay abreast of the latest technologies and best practices in the industry to provide you with a reliable and safe Internet experience.

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

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.

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Kinds of information we collect

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

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Aggregate information

Aggregate information is anonymous data that Digital Products use to help improve the quality of your experience.

Our Digital Products 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 Digital Products so as to improve design and navigation and to help diagnose problems. Only aggregate data is used for this purpose.

Since July 2023, the NFB uses Google Signals. When this feature is activated, Google Analytics associate the visitation information it collects from our digital platforms with Google information from accounts of signed-in users who have consented to this association for the purpose of ads personalization. This Google information may include end user location, search history, YouTube history, and data from sites that partner with Google. It is used to provide aggregated and anonymized insights into our users’ cross device behaviors. If you do not wish to provide this information to the NFB or other websites, you can deactivate the option via your Google profile, under My Activity

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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 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, post a comment, engage with 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 the Canadian government payment gateway (Receiver General Buy Button) for the electronic acceptance of payments. Credit card numbers are used only for processing payments and are not retained for any other purpose. The payment process uses a Secure Socket Layer (SSL). Once the customer’s personal information has been provided securely, the credit card number is immediately encrypted by buy button in secure transaction storage and no longer retrievable in an unencrypted format.

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.

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.

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Log in to NFB platforms using a single sign-on (SSO) service

The NFB platform offers users the convenience of single sign-on (SSO) functionality, allowing them to access our services using their existing accounts with third-party providers such as Microsoft, Google or Apple. By choosing to authenticate through SSO, users authorize our platform to collect, use and store personal information that the third-party provider shares with us. This information may include, but is not limited to, username, full name, email address and any other data that users have consented to share with external services.

It’s important for users to understand that the specific information shared with us is governed by the privacy settings and policies of the third-party provider. Users can review and manage the information shared with our platform by accessing their privacy settings on the third-party provider’s website.

We recommend that users carefully review and understand the privacy policies and terms of use of their third-party provider before connecting their account to our platform. By using this SSO service, users acknowledge and agree to the collection, use and storage of their personal information as described in our Privacy Policy and in accordance with the terms set forth by the third-party provider.

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Google’s Privacy Policy
Apple’s Privacy Policy
Microsoft’s Privacy Policy

How the NFB uses information shared by third-party providers

Please note that the NFB collects and stores only essential information that’s necessary to identify a user, such as their email address or, when available, a unique identification number, or “key.” During the authentication process, we do not collect or store any additional information that doesn’t directly serve the purpose of identifying and connecting a user to their NFB account.

Personal data shared by third-party providers

Microsoft
When configuring a connection to Microsoft, the provider may share the user’s full name and email address with the NFB. The NFB only collects and stores the email address to create the user’s account.

Google
When configuring a connection to Google, the provider may share the user’s full name, email address, preferred language and profile picture with the NFB. The NFB only collects and stores the email address to create the user’s account.

Apple
Apple uses and shares a passkey, which is a unique digital key that only works from the site or app for which it was created. Passkeys are securely synced across Apple devices. It uses Touch ID or Face ID technologies to authenticate users. If a user wants to link their Apple account to an existing NFB account, Apple will also share the user’s Apple email address with the NFB.

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Our Cookie Policy

Consult our Cookie Policy to learn more about what cookies are and which ones are used on our digital products, and for what purpose. This policy also provides instructions on how to manage your cookie preferences through your browser.

Learn more
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Personal information collected through the self-declaration questionnaire in the course of the hiring process

The purpose and legal authority for the collection

The personal information collected through the self-declaration questionnaire will be used for statistical purposes related to workforce selection and representation. More specifically, this information will be employed to support equity and diversity initiatives, monitor progress and influence decision-making related to equity and diversity within the hiring process. The information may also be used in the development and implementation of the employment equity (EE) policy. 

For processes where EE is an eligibility, screening or selection criterion, the information may be used for selection purposes. Finally, having the self-declaration data of a candidate selected for a job interview can allow the NFB to include a member of the same underrepresented group on the selection committee to ensure that the selection process is as inclusive as possible.

Personal information is collected in accordance with the NFB’s authority by virtue of section 10 and section 13 of the National Film Act (S.C. c. N-8). Collection is also authorized under the “Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service” (Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet).

More specifically, the questionnaire is in alignment with our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Plan and the NFB Indigenous Action Plan (Indigenous Plan).

Uses consistent with the original purpose

  • Conducting in-depth analyses of equity, diversity and inclusion to identify and eliminate disparities within the NFB.
  • Compiling aggregated and anonymized data for statistical purposes.
  • Publishing reports with anonymized data to gauge whether equity, diversity and inclusion goals have been attained.
  • Designing, reviewing and evaluating the NFB’s hiring process.
  • Adapting initiatives to align with our EDI Plan and Indigenous Plan.

Within the NFB, personal information collected through the self-declaration questionnaire is accessible only to key individuals in positions that have a valid reason to access and use the information.

Legal or administrative consequences for refusing to provide the personal information

This is a voluntary questionnaire. There are no consequences for refusing to fill out the form.

Description of personal information bank (PIB)

Records collected via this questionnaire include, but are not limited to, personal information provided voluntarily by individuals who have submitted employment applications. More specifically: first and last name, email address, Indigenous identity, racial/ethnic identity, disability status, gender identity/expression and 2SLGBTQI+ status. These pieces of information are collected by online questionnaire and stored in an automated data system. They will be collected in personal information bank PSU 911 – Applications for Employment.

Changing the personal information provided

If you want to update the personal information you have provided on the form, please contact the NFB Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator by email at atip-aiprp@nfb.ca or by telephone at 438-466-2522.

Privacy inquiries

If you have a question, comment, concern or complaint about the application of the Privacy Act and related policies, please contact the NFB Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator by email at atip-aiprp@nfb.ca or by telephone at 438-466-2522.

If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concerns, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada by email at info@priv.gc.ca or by telephone at 1-800-282-1376. You also have the right to complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

about our handling of your personal information.

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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.

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

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NFB Presence on Third-Party Platforms

NFB is present on various third-party platforms, such as social media and digital distribution platforms. When you interact with our digital products on those platforms or use accounts from those platforms to interact with our Digital Products, their policies and terms of use apply, and we encourage you to consult these for more detailed information. It may include their practices and instructions about how to opt out of certain options.

We may use information that you share with us on third-party platforms, as well as limited information from your social media accounts (if you decide to share this information by using your social media credentials to log into our services) to engage with you and answer your questions, as well as for audience insights and reporting purposes.

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Security

At nfb.ca and onf.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.

With regard to the information required for an online transaction, the existing credit card services contract for the federal government requires the payment service provider to provide levels of data and processing security and integrity that are standard within the banking industry.

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 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.

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How to access, edit or delete your personal information

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 ATIP-AIPRP@nfb.ca. The person in charge of answering your request in regard to the Privacy Policy is:

ATIP Coordinator (Access to Information and Privacy)
National Film Board of Canada
1501 Bleury,
H3A 2J2,
Montreal, QC, Canada,
438-466-2522

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Revisions to the Privacy Policy

By using these Websites, you are agreeing to the terms and conditions of the NFB Privacy Policy. As our Websites are constantly evolving, we reserve the right to modify this Policy at any time without prior notice to reflect changes in our information practices or relevant laws. When we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, you will be prompted to accept the revised Privacy Policy when you log into your account. We will indicate at the top of the Privacy Policy when it was last updated. This Privacy Policy serves as an expression of our commitment to protecting personal information. We invite you to consult it regularly.

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Who to contact about this Privacy Policy

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us online or by phone.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the NFB, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner at the following numbers:
Toll-free: 1-800-282-1376
Phone: (819) 994-5444
TTY: (819) 994-6591

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