Privacy

We are committed to maintaining confidentiality and personal privacy.

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Privacy notice

Our Commitment to Privacy​​

PHSA is committed to protecting your privacy and confidentiality. We are subject to and comply with the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).

This notice explains how PHSA collects, uses, discloses, and protects personal information on its websites.

We do not disclose, give, sell or transfer any personal information about our website visitors unless required by law.

We may update this notice at any time. Please review it periodically for changes.

What is Personal Information?

Personal information is recorded information about an identifiable individual other than business contact information. Examples include, but are not limited to: name, address, birth date, email address, phone number and Personal Health Number (PHN). 

Collection and Use of Information

PHSA is authorized under section 26(c) of FIPPA to collect personal information via this website for the purposes described below. Information is collected either directly from you or automatically.​

Information Collected Directly from You

Personal information may be collected when you:

  • send us an email,
  • complete a questionnaire, form or other survey on our websites. 

We only use the personal information you provide for purposes consistent with its collection.

Information you provide becomes part of PHSA's record and is subject to FIPPA. 

You have the right to request access to and correction of your personal information by contacting the privacy representative listed on this page.

Information Collected Automatically

IP Addresses (Security)

Your device's IP address will be captured for security monitoring and system integrity purposes. This helps us detect and prevent unauthorized access or malicious activity.

If you do not agree to this collection, please avoid using PHSA websites.

Cookies

Some PHSA web pages use "cookies" -simple text files stored by your browser on your device to remember preferences and enhance site performance.

Cookies cannot run programs, carry viruses, or access personal files on your device. They can, however, be misused, and have become a privacy concern for some because they can be used to record and analyze an individual's broader browsing history.

Our websites operate on "implied consent", which means that by using our sites, you agree to this usage.

If you do not agree:

  • Do not use our sites, or
  • Delete cookies after visiting, or
  • Use your browser's private mode (e.g., "Incognito" in Chrome, "In Private" in Microsoft Edge, "Private Browsing" in Firefox and Safari).

Learn more at http://www.allaboutcookies.org/cookies/session-cookies-used-for.html. 

There are two types of cookies:

  • Session cookies: Deleted when you leave our website.
  • Persistent cookies: May remain longer for certain functions.

Important: Cookies are simple text files.

Analytics (Google Analytics)​

PHSA uses Google Analytics (GA4) to understand website usage and improve user experience.

Google Analytics uses first-party cookies to track visitor interactions and temporarily processes IP addresses. PHSA enables IP anonymization, removing the last part of your IP address before analysis, so the analytics data cannot reasonably identify you.

The information collected may include:

  • Pages visited
  • Time and length of visits
  • Browser type and operating system
  • Referring website

The data is transmitted to Google servers in the United States. Google may share this information with third parties as required by law or for processing on Google's behalf.

You can opt out of Google Analytics by:

  • adjusting your browser settings to block cookies. Disabling cookies may limit some website functionality.
  • Installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. The add-on communicates with the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js) to indicate that information about the website visit should not be sent to Google Analytics. The Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on does not prevent information from being sent to the website itself or to other web analytics services.

Safeguards

PHSA protects your personal information by making reasonable security arrangements against such risks as unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, or disposal. Security measures are integrated into the design, implementation and daily operations. ​

Social Media Buttons

Some PHSA pages include social media buttons (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn). These may allow external sites to track your activity. Review the privacy policies of those platforms for details.​

Related Links

PHSA's websites contains links to other websites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices or content accuracy.


Last updated: March 4, 2026

Social media

Social Media Moderation, Terms of Service and Data/Privacy Policies






PHSA Social ​Media Moderation Guidelines

We welcome participation in discussions, but we believe people should feel respected and safe on our channels, as well as be protected from misinformation, harmful advice, advice that is not evidence-based or spam. We also expect conversations to follow the conventions of polite discourse so that everyone feels welcome to participate. To support these objectives, PHSA social media moderators will use moderation options provided by the platforms to moderate content that interferes with these objectives, such as (without limitation):

  • Content that contains profanity or is discriminatory, hateful, defamatory, racist, sexist or obscene.
  • Content that breaches employee or patient privacy.
  • Content that contains personal attacks beyond the expectations of civil discourse.
  • Content that unreasonably invades anyone’s privacy.
  • Content that impersonates anyone.
  • Content that spreads misinformation, disproven medical claims or harmful advice.
  • Content that constitutes spam or promotes services or products not approved by PHSA.
  • Content so far off-topic that it has no relevance to the topic at hand or interferes with the conversation.
  • Content that encourages conduct that could constitute a criminal offence or give rise to civil liability, or that otherwise violates any applicable laws, regulations or treaties.
  • Content that is contrary to the principles of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
PHSA moderation options include, but are not limited to, hiding or deleting posts and turning off comments. Where other options have failed, moderation may involve blocking users.

If you have questions about this moderation policy or how we apply it, please contact: social@phsa.ca.

Monito​​ring H​​ours

PHSA social media channels are generally monitored during regular business hours, Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time. We will do our best to respond to posts within two business days. 

Me​​dia 

Please note, for media inquiries about PHSA or its programs and services, call the media line at 778-867-7472. Media inquiries are not responded to on PHSA social media channels. 

Medical A​​dvice

Medical advice will not be provided through social media.

Complain​ts

If you have a complaint about a PHSA employee or program, please contact the Patient Care Quality Office​. 

Complaints about PHSA staff and programs posted to social media will be reported if they violate any of the conditions listed in the PHSA Social Media Moderation Policy and posters may be banned from PHSA social media channels.

Retweets (RTs), Quotes, ​​Shares, Likes

Retweets, shared posts, liked posts and quoted posts do not imply endorsement on the part of PHSA. We may like, share or quote news, links and personal observations we believe are relevant to the work we do. A like, share or quote should not be taken as explicit endorsement of any position or argument that may vary from PHSA’s official position.

Follo​​​wing

Our decision to follow a particular social media user does not imply endorsement of any kind.

How We Protect and Use the Personal Information We Collect

PHSA’s collection, use, disclosure and retention of information comply with the provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Collected information is used only by authorized PHSA staff to fulfil the purpose for which it was originally collected.

We will not sell or trade any personally identifiable information that may be collected from our website and will not disclose such information to third parties except as authorized by law.
When you send us email via our website, your message is stored as business correspondence accessible only to authorized PHSA website staff.​

Priv​​acy

To protect your privacy, and the privacy of others, please do not include any personal information including telephone numbers and email addresses in comments. In addition, please do not share personal information about others, including pictures or videos, unless you have obtained consent to do so. 

All content posted will be received with the assumption that the person who posted it holds all necessary rights to that content. 

Terms o​f Service 

In accordance with the terms of service and data/privacy policies of social media platforms, this document serves as notice that by posting comments to any PHSA social media account you are consenting to the collection of the information you provide. Furthermore, by using or accessing a social media platform, you agree with the contents of their terms of service and data/privacy policy as updated from time to time. Please be aware that any information collected may be stored and/or accessed outside of Canada on servers that do not belong to PHSA. 

In respect of personal information posted to any PHSA social media account, subsection 26(c) of the British Columbia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act authorizes the collection of this information by a program of the Provincial Health Services Authority (“PHSA”) for the purposes of engaging and consulting with the public. 

PHSA is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, timeliness or reliability of content posted by others on social media channels. If a third party uses this content, they will agree to indemnify and hold PHSA harmless from all third party claims, demands, actions or costs arising out of use of these sites. 

PHSA social media channels are managed by PHSA employees who post news, announcements and other items of interest for the public. Some of the tools and technologies used at PHSA have assistive and generative artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. All information and content shared by PHSA is reviewed and approved by the appropriate staff member to ensure factual accuracy and maintain integrity. If you comment on a post, share it, like it or otherwise engage with it, your personal identifiable information will be visible to other visitors. The amount of visible personal information displayed will depend on the platform and your privacy settings. 




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