BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
Your Data Your Rights
What are personal information banks?
Federal public bodies are required to publish the type of information that is under their control. Specifically, federal public bodies organize personal information into personal information banks (PIBs) that are retrievable by name, identifying number, or symbol. PIBs essentially provide a summary of the type of personal information held by government institutions.
Looking up the types of PIBs can help you determine what type of information federal public bodies hold that may be useful for your purposes. The description of a PIB is filled with useful information about the type of personal information in the bank and who it is about, as well as an idea of what you should include in your personal information request to get access to it. Some types of PIBs include but are not limited to: Privacy Act PIBs, Access to Information Act requests, applications for employment, public enquiries, and personal service contact.
If you don’t know which PIB to reference in your request, include enough of a description of the personal information you want so the institution can identify the information within its records.
The government website Info Source is a helpful tool to find where your information is located. For more information, please visit the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Standard PIBs page.
Updated 2024.07. 27
These pages were last updated and reviewed in the summer of 2024.
The information on these pages only contains general information and guidance; none of the information constitutes legal advice. If you have a specific issue that you believe is a legal problem, the best practice is to consult a lawyer.
The information is non-partisan, dynamic and ever changing. It is the result of FIPA’s research and public education programs.
If you note something that needs to be added, corrected, or removed, please contact us by email: fipa AT fipa.bc.ca.
