Protection of Privacy

Western endeavours to protect the personal information of all individuals who come into contact with it, be they students, alumni, faculty, staff, or members of the general public.  It strives to collect only the specific personal information that is related directly to, and needed for, operating its programs and activities.  Personal information will be used, maintained, disclosed and disposed of in accordance with the applicable provincial or federal legislation.  University records that are not subject to statutory privacy rules will be protected in accordance with University policies and agreements.

If you have a concern about the protection of your personal information at Western, please contact Western's Information and Privacy Office.

You may also review Western's Policy for Guidelines on Access to Information and Protection of Privacy, MAPP 1.23 here. Please note: MAPP 1.23 was in place for many years prior to the amendments that brought universities under FIPPA. FIPPA now overrides most of the provisions of MAPP 1.23.

 

Data Deletion

In the event you wish to have your personal information deleted from Western's systems, you are welcome to submit a Data Deletion request via email to Western's Privacy Office at privacy.office@uwo.ca. However, please consider the following before submitting a request:

 

  1. Data erasure is not a right granted under the Freedom of Informtation and Protection of Privacy Act, but can certainly be considered if a formal request is made.
  2. It is Western's practice to request and verify ID prior to proceeding with deletion of data. There are a few options available for providing ID, and Western's Privacy Office can advise of those options upon request. 
  3. If you are residing in the EU or another country/state with similar data protection laws, please also provide that information when you submit the documentation necessary to verify your identity. 
  4. You will need to provide details regarding how and when you interacted with the University to asisst Western's Privacy Office in locating records and information that the University may hold about you. Details may include, but not be limited to, your status (student, employee, Alumni, etc.), department(s) and/or faculty(ies) with which you interacted or worked, and the applicable years. Additional details may be requested at the decretion of Western's Privacy Office. 
  5. Once the Privacy Office is able to obtain the revelant information, they will complete the applicable searche(s) and you will be advised of what is on record and what can be deleted per regulations. 
  6. Once your instructions are provided to proceed, the data will be deleted and confirmation will be provided back to you upon completion. 

 

Western University is legally required to follow Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and has established data collection, retention and destruction processes in compliance with FIPPA. We encourage you to contact the Privacy Office with any questions.