The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has launched a new tool to help businesses evaluate their privacy practices and compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronics Documents Act (PIPEDA).

The diagnostic tool gives organizations a series of checklists they can use to assess how compliant they are with the 10 Fair Information Principles of PIPEDA.

With the results of this self-assessment, organizations will be able determine the weaknesses in their privacy systems and understand the risks they pose for the business and customers. It will also help them ensure they dedicate the appropriate resources to ensuring privacy compliance.

“Good privacy practices are good for business,” said Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Jennifer Stoddart, in a release. “More and more, organizations are realizing this, and by giving them an efficient and effective means of evaluating and improving their privacy practices, they can develop a competitive advantage.”

Information about the PIPEDA Self-Assessment Tool, as well as other tools to help organizations comply with privacy law, such as a guide for businesses and organizations, an e-learning tool for retailers, fact sheets and a number of new case summaries, can be found at www.privcom.gc.ca.