Canada is part of a global economy based on the creation, processing, and exchange of information. The technology underlying the information economy provides a number of benefits that improve the quality of our lives. This technology also gives rise to concerns about the protection of privacy rights and the individual's right to control the use and exchange of personal information. By implementing recognized fair-handling practices for personal information, organizations can materially demonstrate their commitment to the protection of personal information. Organizations should balance their need for personal information with an individual's desire for a certain measure of anonymity.This document is a voluntary national standard for the protection of personal information. The Standard addresses two broad issues: the way organizations collect, use, disclose, and protect personal information; and the right of individuals to have access to personal information about themselves, and, if necessary, to have the information corrected. Ten interrelated principles form the basis of the Standard. Each principle is accompanied by a commentary that elaborates on the principle. A workbook on the implementation of the principles is available to organizations intending to adopt this Standard. Organizations will be able to tailor specific codes using the workbook as a guide.This Standard will (a) provide principles for the management of personal information; (b) specify the minimum requirements for the adequate protection of personal information held by participating organizations; (c) make the Canadian public aware of how personal information should be protected; and (d) provide standards by which the international community can measure the protection of personal information in Canada.Canada committed itself to privacy protection in 1984 by signing the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guidelines on the Protection of Privacy and Transborder Flows of Personal Data. The OECD Guidelines (see Appendix A) were used as the basis for the development of this Standard. The protection of personal information is increasingly important at the international level.