Company policies

Last updated: August 22, 2019

This Privacy Policy sets out PoliceChecks approach to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information in connection with our businesses in Canada, including but not limited to personal information collected, used and disclosed when you access or use our Website. We are Proudly Canadian and all PoliceChecks data is stored in Canada in accordance with Canadian Privacy legislation and RCMP requirements.

Scope of this Privacy Policy

We are committed to protecting your privacy and support a general policy of openness about how we collect, use and disclose personal information in connection with our business in Canada and the United States. This Privacy Policy provides an overview of our business and explains how we collect, use and disclose personal information. By using our Website, you consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

In this Privacy Policy, we will use the following terms:

“Cookies” are small text files offered to a user’s computer by web servers in order to keep track of the user’s browser as a website is navigated. “Personal Information” means any information about an identifiable individual. “Principals” means individuals that own and/or are involved in the management of a business. “Us”, “we”, “our” and “PoliceChecks” means PoliceChecks a PoliceChecks Holdings, Inc. brand. “Website” means the website operated by PoliceChecks and located at https://policechecks.ca. “User” means a person who is using PoliceChecks to use our services.

About Us

PoliceChecks is an information and data analytics company with the goal of offering the highest quality alternative to the current consumer criminal record checks. Today, we serve the community by providing criminal record checks in minutes as opposed to days without sending users to the police station.

An Overview of Our Business

We facilitate the process of completing a criminal record check with the police in Canada. forward. Our users are primarily located in Canada. PoliceChecks have partnered with police detachments across Canada to provide our criminal record checks.

Our Collection Practices for Potential or Existing Users

We primarily collect User Personal Information from the following sources:

  • The Canadian Police Information Center via local police detachments
  • ID verification is performed through PoliceChecks by Equifax
  • A public record search will search the internet, and public media that individual authors have made publicly available;
  • Directly from Users in response to any dealings we have with the User including the PoliceChecks questionnaire; and
  • Public records, federal, state and/or provincial government offices, public registries, and other sources permitted by law.

Personal information collection

Information we collect

We limit our collection of Personal Information to include only what is necessary to supply our users and their named employers with the accurate and up-to-date information they need. We periodically review the data in our system to ensure that it only contains information relevant to the services we provide. Furthermore, we ensure that our retention policies comply with the requirements of privacy laws and the applicable federal, state and/or provincial consumer reporting legislation. If you call us, we may record and retain the recording to ensure the accuracy of our discussions and for quality control and record keeping purposes.

What is included in our reports

Reports by PoliceChecks may contain the following information:

  • Identifying information: User name, previous name(s), date of birth, Social Insurance Number (including temporary and/or previous Social Insurance Numbers), current and previous addresses and telephone numbers, and current and previous employers;
  • Public records: Information that may affect creditworthiness, such as judgments, bankruptcies, consumer proposals and registered items, as well as, criminal court cases, fraud lists, sex offender registries, and terrorist watch lists;
  • Criminal record check: A “Clear” or “Review” Status if criminal records are foud;
  • Address history: A list of past residential addresses;

What is NOT included in our reports

PoliceChecks do not contain:

  • Medical histories;
  • Information about purchases paid in full with cash or cheques;
  • Race, creed, colour, ancestry, religion, ethnicity, sexual preference, family status or political affiliations.

Accuracy of the Personal Information collected

The majority of personal information collected is provided directly from the User themselves. As a result, the User controls the accuracy for most of the information received. PoliceChecks uses automated transcribing practices to the greatest extent possible to ensure the accuracy of information continues within our system. Any information that is found to be inaccurate, whether it be through our internal control processes or brought to our attention by the User for correction, is updated as soon as possible.

Correcting Personal Information

At any time, a user may request to have any identified inaccuracies associated with their personal information corrected. A user may also ask us not to collect their personal information and to delete any information that was previously provided to us provided it is permitted by law.

Access to your Personal Information

You also have a right to access the other personal information belonging to you that is under our control subject to any legal restrictions or rights of refusal. Such a request for access must be made in writing stating the details of the personal information you are requesting to PoliceChecks’ Chief Privacy Officer at Chief Privacy Officer, PoliceChecks Solutions Inc. 1006 Fort St., Victoria BC V8V 3K4. To ensure we disclosure information to you only, with your request please include photocopies (front and back) of two (2) pieces of government issued photo id so that we may verify your identity.

Decision making associated with Personal Information

PoliceChecks does not take part in the decision-making process. Our reports do not make a recommendation to our clients whether positive or negative about the User. No incentive exists for PoliceChecks to provide an opinion or alter information contained on the report and PoliceChecks has no vested interest in the outcome between Clients and their Users.

Our use and disclosure of Personal Information

We limit our use of Personal Information to those purposes which have been disclosed to the User by us or our Clients and for which appropriate consents have been obtained, or for purposes which are otherwise permitted by law. In connection with our services, we do not have direct relationships with the Users or their employers. We require our Users to give explicit consent and to limit the use of Personal Information obtained from PoliceChecks to purposes that are permitted by law.

If PoliceChecks was ever sold, or if we merged with another company, or transferred part or all of our shares or assets, we may disclose and/or transfer Personal Information to our successor or assignee who may collect, use and disclose the Personal Information for substantially the same purposes as described in this Privacy Policy;

  • To assist in the investigation of a contravention of a law and/or fraudulent activities;
  • To fulfill our obligations under consumer reporting and privacy legislation (such as, a request to initiate an investigation); and
  • To act in respect of an emergency that threatens the life, health or security of an individual or for other purposes as permitted or required by law.

In addition, we may provide anonymous information (i.e., information that does not identify Users or, where applicable, its Principals) in the form of aggregate or demographic data to our Clients or service providers. We may also generate and use anonymous information to develop, enhance or validate our products, processes or services. Personal Information will necessarily be used to generate anonymous information and, when required, to research, validate and test the use of anonymous information in such processes, products, services and enhancements.

PoliceChecks may share Personal Information with third parties engaged to assist us in providing services and information to our Users (Example the RCMP). In addition, we may engage third parties to assist us with infrastructure maintenance and support. These service providers are prohibited from using your Personal Information for any purpose other than to provide this assistance and are required to protect Personal Information disclosed by PoliceChecks and to comply with the general privacy principles described in this Privacy Policy.

In exceptional circumstances PoliceChecks may be forced to communicate personal information with law enforcement agencies, national security agencies, courts, or other similar institutions as required by law. If in receipt of a production order, subpoena, warrant or other enforceable demand, PoliceChecks will comply by law as required. We will communicate the request of information with the User on a best efforts basis unless prohibited by law.

What we won’t do with the collected information

PoliceChecks will not disclose or sell your personal information to advertising agencies, marketing services, or government agencies unless required to do so by law.

Retention of your Personal Information

PoliceChecks retains your Personal Information in our information database for as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose(s) for which it was collected and to comply with applicable laws.

Other policies

Obtaining consent

We collect, use and disclose personal information when the User is aware of the purposes for which the information will be used or disclosed, and has given his or her consent to such use or disclosure, except where collection, use or disclosure of personal information without consent is permitted or required by law.

In all cases, Users will provide such consent directly to PoliceChecks.

Our accountability

We have appointed a Privacy Officer to oversee our compliance with the privacy principles established by the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, and with provincial privacy and credit reporting legislation. However, protecting Personal Information does not begin and end there: we are committed to fostering a sense of responsibility amongst our employees for protecting the privacy and accuracy of Personal Information while it is in our care.

Contacting us

Please contact our Consumer Relations Centre using the contact information below. Our Consumer Relations Centre is staffed by trained personnel who can assist with your inquiries. You may also direct your inquiry or request directly to our Privacy Officer. We may require that you put any request for access or correction in writing.

Consumers can also contact us through our:
Website: https://policechecks.ca
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: +1 888-910-7871, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm (PST)

Cookies

PoliceCheck’ Website makes use of “per-session” Cookies. Unlike “persistent” Cookies, which are stored on a user’s hard drive and can last indefinitely, per-session Cookies are stored only in a browser’s temporary memory and are deleted when the browser is shut down. When users visit our Website, our web server offers the user’s browser a per-session Cookie. As the Website is navigated, this Cookie is read back to our web server, allowing us to generate an anonymous “click trail” profile of the visit. From the aggregated information about visits, PoliceChecks learns how visitors interact with its Website, how the Website design and content can be improved, and how visitors’ experiences can be improved. PoliceChecks does not link, share or associate the contents of the per-session Cookie with any other information in a way that would enable the identification of visitors to our Website. Nor do we track or link together multiple visits by any single user over time. Our per-session Cookies cannot be “read” by any other web servers, so users cannot be tracked or profiled using PoliceChecks' Cookies if they visit multiple sites on the Internet. Some browsers can be set to reject all Cookies. If a user chooses to modify a browser in this manner, some pages of our Website may not function properly.

IP addresses and server logs

Unique Internet Protocol (IP) addresses are assigned to all internet users by their Internet Service Providers (ISPs). IP addresses do not directly identify internet users; however, through an ISP, an IP address may be linked to a particular user. During a visit to a website, certain information about a user’s traffic patterns, linked with the user’s IP address, is passively and automatically collected in the normal course of establishing and maintaining a website connection. This information is logged by the web server of the website that is visited.

The following information is logged by PoliceChecks' web servers during visits to our Website: IP addresses, type of operating system, time and duration of visit, web pages visited and browser type. We do not link server log information to any other information in a way that would enable the identification of visitors to our Website. Server log information is analyzed by us in order to improve our Website and to customize the Website for users. In addition, from time to time, server logs may be reviewed for security purposes; for example, to detect unauthorized activity on our Website. In such cases, server log data, containing IP addresses, would be shared with law enforcement bodies in order that they may identify users in connection with their investigation of the unauthorized activities.

Links to third party sites

Our Website may offer links to other third-party websites. You should be aware that operators of linked websites may also collect your Personal Information and information generated through the use of Cookies or other tracking technologies when you visit their websites. PoliceChecks is not responsible for how such third parties collect, use or disclose your Personal Information, so it is important to familiarize yourself with their privacy policies before visiting their websites or providing them with your Personal Information.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

PoliceChecks reserves the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time without notice. The Privacy Policy posted at any time or from time to time via this Website shall be deemed to be the Privacy Policy then in effect.