Website Visitors
- Collection of Personal Information
- Use of Personal Information
- Release of Personal Information
- Links
Collection of Personal Information
Each time you visit the BC Securities Commissions’ websites, we automatically record some digital markers (also known as cookies) about your visit and store them on your device.
We use sessional cookies and persistent cookies to help you use our websites faster and more efficiently. Sessional cookies exist while you remain on our websites. They do not store personal information and only exist when you are actively using our websites. Persistent cookies continue to exist on your device after you have left our websites. It is possible that the IP addresses of Internet service providers may be collected and could identify you. The BCSC does not use this information to identify individuals who visit the website unless required for law enforcement purposes in the event of a breach.
Data we receive from cookies allow us to use analytics and measurement to provide you with a better user experience. For example, the cookie can remember the text size you prefer to use and will display the site content to match your preference as you move from page to page. We also use data from cookies to measure the impact of BCSC advertising intended to raise awareness about our investor and industry education initiatives.
You may adjust your browser settings to reject digital markers, including cookies. However, if you refuse to accept cookies, you may not be able to use some of the features available on our websites.
Web analytics
BCSC uses Google Analytics to aggregate website traffic information to track and report on the public’s online experience. Web analytics persistent cookies are applied to BCSC web pages to capture a limited amount of data for aggregated tracking and reporting, which includes, but is not limited to, the following page, browser and user information:
- the location of the device that has contacted a BCSC website
- type of browser used
- type of operating system used
- the date and time of the visit
- pages visited and documents downloaded
The BCSC may also use the data collected from these cookies for non-administrative uses, such as communications and information technology statistics, audit and evaluations, research, planning, and reporting. While there are ways that this data may be combined with other data to create personal information, the BCSC uses the data in aggregate and anonymized format only. The BCSC does not use this data or personal information for decision making processes about an individual.
The BCSC carries out web analytics using services from the third-party service provider Google Inc. (Google Analytics). These service providers are based in the United States of America (USA), which means that the data collected is transmitted outside of Canada and may be subject to USA laws, including the USA Patriot Act. In addition, Google operates servers in other countries on which the web analytics data may be processed. Consequently, the data may be subject to the governing legislation of the country where it is processed. For more information about the privacy policies of these service providers, please visit their individual websites or use the following links:
You may adjust your browser settings to reject digital markers, including web analytics cookies. If you wish, you may opt out of having your visit tracked by:
- changing your browser settings to refuse cookies,
- disabling JavaScript within your browser, or
- downloading and installing a browser add-on from Google that prevents your visit data from being used.
If you change your browser settings to refuse cookies or disable JavaScript so that your visit will not be tracked, no information will be collected but your visit may be affected in other ways, including making it difficult to access any secure services that require a username and password. If you use the browser add-ons from Google, your visit will not be affected.
Use of Personal Information
We use statistical software to analyze activity on our websites to help us assess, manage, and improve our services. We do not analyze the website usage of individual people, companies, or domains.
Release of Personal Information
We will not disclose your information to other organizations without your knowledge and consent, except in limited cases where we have the legal authority or obligation to do so.
We may share your information with other law enforcement agencies, government agencies, and financial regulators, without your knowledge or consent, under the authority of the Securities Act and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. These agencies are generally subject to similar requirements to safeguard your information.
We will release information to comply with a court order.
People may request your personal information under Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. We will not release your personal information without your written consent if doing so would represent an unreasonable invasion of your personal privacy. We act in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and decisions of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of BC.