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NOTICE: On January 13, 2021, PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC adopted an amended Privacy Policy, providing as follows:

The Public Service Alliance of Canada cares about the confidentiality and security of your information. This Privacy Policy applies to information that PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC collects through PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site when you interact with PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC, with other users, and generally with the Public Service Alliance of Canada. Your information is received and controlled by PSAC according to this Privacy Policy when you sign up for a PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC account or otherwise use the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC.

★ Public Service Alliance of Canada is solely and independently responsible for its own privacy practices.

If you do not accept the terms of this Privacy Policy, then please do not access, browse, or register for the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site or enroll in any courses. If you choose not to provide certain information required to provide you with various products and services offered on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site, then you may not be able to establish a user account or obtain those products or services. Any version of this Privacy Policy in a language other than English and French is provided for convenience and you understand and agree that the English and French language versions will control if there is any conflict.

This Privacy Policy is organized as follows:

  • Information that PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC collects from you (including your Personal Information)
  • Cookies and Tracking Technologies on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site
  • How your information is used
  • How your information is shared
  • How to manage your Personal Information
  • Storage & Security
  • Privacy Policy updates
  • Contact information
  • Glossary

Information that PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Collects from You (Including Personal Information)

Public Service Alliance of Canada directly collects information when you:

  • sign up for a PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC user account and create a  PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC user profile;
  • enroll and participate in online courses;
  • send email messages to PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC (including messages to learner support);
  • participate in user surveys; and
  • participate in public forums, webinars, and other interactive experiences on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site.

Public Service Alliance of Canada also indirectly collects usage information about your visit to the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site, as explained in the section below titled Cookies and Tracking Technologies . The Public Service Alliance of Canada requires your Personal Information only in limited circumstances when you:

  • sign up for a PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC user account (name, username, email address);
  • participate in remote proctoring or other course facilitation processes (so that PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC's third-party vendor can monitor and assess the integrity of your course activity); or
  • earn a Verified Certificate (the certificate will have your name on it).

To the extent that PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC associates the information that PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC collects directly or indirectly with an individual (for example, you), the association is based on Personal Information in your account profile. You may voluntarily choose to share additional Personal Information on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site, for example:

  • in your PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC account profile (and you may display a limited or full profile to other PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site users);
  • when participating in a course, forum, webinar, or other interactive experience on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site (noting that in some cases, this information is shared with a third party that provides tools or other assistance for the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site or a course).

Public Service Alliance of Canada encourages you to use discretion before voluntarily sharing additional Personal Information on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site. (If you later choose to delete your PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC account, deletion of your Personal Information will be subject to the process and limits outlined below.)

Cookies and Tracking Technologies on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site

Like many companies, PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC uses Cookies and other common Tracking Technologies on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site and in email communications to help PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Centre better understand your use and needs of the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site, current and future PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC-related products and services, and how PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC and Members can improve. For example:

  • based on your cookie settings, PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC tracks information indicating, among other things, which pages of the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site were visited, the order in which they were visited, when they were visited, and which hyperlinks and other user interface controls were used;
  • PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC may log the IP address, operating system, and browser software (including mobile use and device type when you use PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC native mobile apps) you used when accessing the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site, and PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC may be able to determine from an IP address your Internet Service Provider and the geographic location of your point of connectivity; and
  • PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC may track and collect information from emails that PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC sends to you, for example whether you opened the email or clicked on any links from the email.

Public Service Alliance of Canada also partners with third parties to help us track and understand your activity on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site, how you interact with PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC’s social media, and how you find or may be referred to the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site. Public Service Alliance of Canada use Cookies and other Tracking Technologies for the following purposes:

  • when necessary for system administration, security, and integrity to ensure the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site works properly for you. Without these technologies, the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site may not function correctly;
  • to enable analytics, performance and functionality, to help PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC and Members gather information about how visitors use the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site and monitor PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site performance, and to enhance your experience by recognizing and remembering whether you have visited the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site before and may have any personal preferences; and
  • to support marketing by enabling PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC to deliver content relevant to your interests on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site and third-party sites based on how you interact with PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC or Member advertisements or content. Public Service Alliance of Canada and Members use “first-party” cookies, which means cookies served by PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC or an individual Member, and also “third-party” cookies, which means cookies served by third parties that help PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC and Members track this information.

You have some options for managing Cookies and other Tracking Technologies. These include:

  • Modifying your browser settings : You should be able to control how and whether your web browser accepts Cookies by adjusting its privacy and security settings. The “help” feature of the menu bar on most browsers will tell you how to stop accepting new Cookies, how to receive notification of new Cookies, and how to disable existing Cookies. If you reject PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC’s Cookies, many functions and conveniences of the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site may not work properly.
  • Opting-out of certain third-party tracking and advertising : Some of the third parties used by PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC or a Member for Cookies and Tracking Technologies offer the ability to opt-out from their tracking by following processes described on their websites. A list of some such third parties is maintained and available at the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC help centre and includes, for some, links to applicable opt-out processes. Neither PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC nor any Member is responsible for the effectiveness of any third-party opt-out options.

How Your Information Is Used

Public Service Alliance of Canada use information, including Personal Information , to carry out the following purposes:

  • Operate and improve the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site – This includes creating and improving features that support the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC community and enable PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site usage at scale. This also includes personalizing the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site, so your learning experience is tailored to your interests and needs.
  • Create, administer, provide, and teach courses – This includes creating and improving the delivery of massive open online courses and programs on PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC . This also includes personalizing courses, so your learning experience is tailored to your interests and needs, and assessing your performance and awarding certificates.
  • Offer and improve products and services – This includes enabling you to navigate the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site, to enroll and participate in courses and programs on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site, to learn effectively in such courses and programs, and to purchase or obtain products and services on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site such as Verified Certificates.
  • Develop and maintain the security and performance of the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site – This includes tracking PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site outages and creating software solutions, detecting violations of the Honor Code and Terms of Service, and monitoring uses, misuses, and potential misuses of the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site.
  • Communicate with you – This includes answering your course and platform questions, notifying you of course and PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site maintenance and updates, marketing to you about course offerings, programs, news, and related products and services of PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC or PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC affiliates, and as permitted under applicable law, sending you communications about products or services of selected business partners that may be of interest to you.
  • Track PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site usage against goals and mission – This includes performing analytics to evaluate access to and performance in courses and course-related products and services and to report aggregate usage information (not Personal Information) to business partners and external audiences.
  • Exercise, enforce, and comply with legal rights and obligations – This includes responding to subpoenas, court orders, or other legal process; and investigating, preventing, or taking action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, security or technical issues, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC, Members, or others, and as otherwise required by applicable law.

Public Service Alliance of Canada may also seek your consent for additional uses of information, including Personal Information, and will use it only for the purpose described to you. All use of Personal Information is subject to applicable law.

How Your Information Is Shared

Public Service Alliance of Canada share information, including Personal Information , with third parties for the following purposes:

  • With service providers, contractors, and other third parties that help carry out the uses described above – Public Service Alliance of Canada requires third parties to: (1) abide by this Privacy Policy and applicable law; (2) handle Personal Information in a confidential manner and maintain adequate security; and (3) use Personal Information only as needed to fulfill the relevant purpose(s). In some cases, the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site and individual courses are integrated with third-party services or contain links to websites published by third parties, including other content providers as well as service providers. These third parties are responsible for their own privacy practices, so you should pay attention anytime you are redirected to a third-party website and be sure to review its privacy policy.
  • With other learners in courses that you take and with other visitors to the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site, to create an interactive learning environment, support class participation, and share course information – This includes sharing comments, coursework, or other information or content that you submit to a portion of the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC site designed for viewing by other class members or for public communication. This also includes providing opportunities for you to communicate with other users who may have similar interests or educational goals, for instance, recommending specific study partners or connecting potential student mentees and mentors. In such cases, PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC and each Member that offers a course in which you enrolled may use all information collected about you to determine who might be interested in communicating with you, but will only provide others your username (for clarity, no disclosure of your real name or email address).
  • With employers, government programs, institutions, or other enterprises that sponsor your enrollment in a course for training or other educational purposes – If an entity pays for or otherwise sponsors your Verified Certificate or course participation, PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC will share information with the entity as needed to confirm your enrollment, participation, progress, and completion status in that course.
  • With affiliates of PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC.

Public Service Alliance of Canada may also seek your consent for additional disclosures of information, including Personal Information, and will share it only as described to you. In addition, PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC or a Member may share with the public and with third parties, including but not limited to researchers and business partners, information and Personal Information that is de-identified or aggregated in a manner that does not personally identify you.

How to Manage Your Personal Information

You can manage your Personal Information through learner features on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site and requests to the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC learner support team. If your request involves information controlled by a Member, PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC learner support will notify and coordinate with the appropriate Member to address your request. Public Service Alliance of Canada will provide support to the extent required by applicable law (for example, learners in the European Union) and more broadly when possible, as a courtesy in our sole discretion. Public Service Alliance of Canada will notify you in the event that PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC is unable to meet a request that is not legally required. Similarly, Members will only be obligated to comply with requests to the extent legally required, but may choose to comply with other requests in their sole discretion.

Access and correct your Personal Information

Much of your Personal Information is available in your PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC account. Your name, email address, and other identifiable profile information is editable through the profile settings in your PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC account except as noted below. Your account dashboard lists all current and archived courses in which you have enrolled and includes links to any Verified Certificates you may have earned. The dashboard also contains copies of your answers and other participation and performance in courses. Please contact PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC learner support to access and update this or other information. If your request involves information controlled by a Member, PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation learner support will notify the appropriate Member of your request.

Exceptions :

  • Usernames cannot ever be changed. This is a PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC system restriction. Because usernames identify you in courses and elsewhere on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site, PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC encourages you to use discretion in choosing your username. If you want to protect your identity, do not use your real name or a name identifiable to you as your username.
  • Public Service Alliance of Canada does not track or index every time or every place on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site when or where a learner may volunteer Personal Information, so neither PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC nor Members will be able to help you locate or manage all such instances. Public Service Alliance of Canada encourages you to use discretion before volunteering Personal Information on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site.

Restrict or object to the processing of Personal Information

If you want to manage emails and other communications to you, you may update your preferences in your PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC account dashboard, follow the steps described in links at the bottom of email messages, or contact PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC  learner support. You may object to, or request that PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC or a Member stop, its use of your Personal Information for other purposes by contacting the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC learner support team. If your request involves information controlled by a Member, PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC learner support will notify the appropriate Member of your request. Please note that if you choose to restrict PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC’s or a Member’s ability to process Personal Information, and the processing is otherwise required to provide you with various services and products offered on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation Site, you may not be able to establish an PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC user account or enroll for a course, and PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC or a Member may not be able to provide you with those services or products.

Delete account and Personal Information

To request deletion of your PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC account and Personal Information, you should click the button labeled “Delete my account” in your PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC account settings. Because deletion on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC system is a permanent action and cannot be reversed, PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC may ask you to complete a process that aims to confirm your authority to manage the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC account affected by your request. With respect to y r PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC account, PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC will permanently:

  • remove the active profile, 
  • retire your username, and
  • remove you from PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC email lists.

With respect to your Personal Information, PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC will permanently delete your PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC account profile Personal Information from the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site.

 As noted above, to the extent that PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC associates the information that PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC collects directly or indirectly with an individual (for example, you), the association is based on Personal Information in your PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC account profile. By erasing the Personal Information in your PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC account profile, the remaining information about your activity on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC will no longer be associated with you, except as noted below. These changes will be applied to data stores that are used for operation of the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site including course administration by Members. If you enrolled in any courses on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site, the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC learner support team will share your request with the Members that offered those courses. 

Exceptions:

  • Deletion will not apply to historical activity logs or archives unless and until these logs and data naturally “age-off” the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC system.
  • Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) does not track or index every time or every place on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site when or where a learner may volunteer Personal Information, so neither PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC nor Members will be able to help you locate or manage all such instances. Public Service Alliance of Canada encourages you to use discretion before voluntarily sharing your Personal Information on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site.
  • PSAC will archive course data (in a manner and to the extent permitted under applicable law) to serve its mission to enable scientific research on cognitive science and education. These archives are used to produce encrypted research data packages for Members, and Personal Information may not be deleted from research data packages retained by Members.
  • PSAC and each applicable Member cannot always delete records of past interactions and transactions. For example, records relating to previous purchases on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation  AFPC Site must be retained for financial reporting, audit, and compliance reasons.
  • PSAC and each Member will retain and use Personal Information as necessary to comply with its legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce its agreements, and as otherwise permitted by applicable law.

Data retention

Public Service Alliance of Canada will retain your Personal Information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with services; to maintain a record of your transactions for financial reporting, audit, and compliance purposes; and to comply with PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC’s legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce its agreements, and as otherwise permitted by applicable law. If you enroll in a Member’s course, such Member will also retain your Personal Information for as long as needed to provide you with services; to maintain a record of your transactions for financial reporting, audit, and compliance purposes; and to comply with its legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce its agreements, and as otherwise permitted by applicable law. Upon your request that PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC deactivate your account and delete your information, PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC will follow the process described above, including without limitation archiving your course data (in a manner and to the extent permitted under applicable law) to serve its mission to enable scientific research on cognitive science and education. These archives will be used to produce encrypted research data packages for Members, and each such Member may also keep and use course data for scientific research.

Storage and Security

Public Service Alliance of Canada stores information, including Personal Information , on its own servers and also on servers of companies that PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC hires to provide services. Information may be stored in the United States and in other countries where PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC or a Member operates, and in countries where PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC respective service providers operate. If you are in the European Union, Switzerland, or other regions with laws governing data collection and use, you acknowledge that PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC may transfer, process and store your personal information in the United States and other countries, the privacy laws of which may be considered less strict than those of your region. The Public Service Alliance of Canada controls its own copy of information collected through the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC and has an information security program designed to protect information in its possession or control. This is done through a variety of privacy and security policies, processes, and procedures. Public Service Alliance of Canada uses administrative, physical, and technical safeguards that reasonably and appropriately protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the information that it collects, receives, stores, or transmits. Nonetheless, no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure; and therefore, PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC cannot guarantee its absolute security. While PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC works hard to ensure the integrity and security of its network and systems, PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC cannot guarantee that its security measures will prevent “hackers” or other unauthorized persons from illegally accessing or obtaining information. If PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC learns of a security breach involving its copy of your Personal Information, PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC may attempt to notify you electronically so that you may take appropriate protective steps. By using the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site or providing Personal Information to PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC, you agree that PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC can communicate with you electronically regarding security, privacy, and administrative issues relating to your use of the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC. If a security systems breach occurs, PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC may post a notice on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC homepage (www.edx.org) or elsewhere on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site and may send an email to you at the email address associated with your  https://education.psac-afpc.com account. Depending on where you are located, you may have a legal right to receive notice of a security breach, involving your Personal Information, in writing.

Privacy Policy Updates

This Privacy Policy will be reviewed and updated from time to time. When changes are made, the Privacy Policy will be labeled as "Revised (date)," indicating that you should review the new terms, which will be effective immediately upon posting on this page, with an updated effective date. By accessing the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site after any changes have been made, you accept the modified Privacy Policy and any changes contained therein. In case you miss the notification referenced above, be sure to return to this page periodically to ensure familiarity with the most current version of this Privacy Policy.

Contact Information

If you have privacy concerns, have disclosed data you would prefer to keep private, or would like to access the Personal Information that https://education.psac-afpc.com/ maintains about you, please contact us at petrinc@psac-afpc.com. You may also write to us at: ATTN: PRIVACY OFFICER, Public Service Alliance of Canada, 233 Gilmour Street, Ottawa, ON K2P 0P1 Canada.

Glossary

Cookies are unique identifiers usually in the form of small data files placed on your device that send certain information about your activity on the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site or in an email communication back to PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC or the authorized third party that served the cookie. Public Service Alliance of Canada or third parties may also use Flash cookies.

PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC Site consists of all content and pages located within the PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC web domain and all PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC mobile applications.

Personal Information is information that specifically identifies you or that, when combined with other information, could be used to identify you.

Tracking Technologies are web beacons, clear gifs, pixels, and similar technologies that are also unique identifiers used to track your online activity but are not stored on your device.

Verified Certificate is a virtual certificate that shows that you have successfully completed your PSAC Online Education-Cyberformation AFPC course or program and verified your identity using your webcam and your acceptable form of photo ID.

Effective Date:

January 13, 2021