Privacy tips

These tips will help you take appropriate care of multimedia containing images of individuals.

  1. Accountability: Take steps to control the collection of images. Does the collection of images and related information support your department mission? Review how, where, when. and why you are collecting media. Are you using a personal device? Are the images/metadata stored on a server in Canada?
  2. Identifying purpose: Inform individuals why the image is needed.
  3. Consent: Ensure individuals understand (a) the purpose and consequences of releasing their image and (b) with whom their image may be shared. Use an up-to-date Model Release form.
  4. Limiting collection: Do not collect unnecessary personal information or images.
  5. Limiting use, disclosure and retention: If images are shared on a social medua platform such as Vimeo or YouTube, ensure that the account is connected to an SFU email address belonging to a supervisor or designate. Follow guidelines for publishing images/personal information related to an identifiable person. Follow your department's multimedia retention schedule*.
  6. Accuracy: Make sure you match the correct names to subjects in photographs. Ensure contact information provided by a subject is an SFU email address.
  7. Safeguards: Ensure images and metadata are securely stored on an SFU computer and protected against unauthorized access. Use only SFU email accounts to share works.
  8. Openness: Tell the identifiable person who is accountable for their images, how to get a copy, and how to be in contact if necessary.
  9. Individual access: If copies are requested by the identifiable person, provide them using their SFU email address. Ensure images are released only to the identifiable person in the photo(s) being requested.
  10. Challenging compliance: Contact the SFU Information and Privacy Officer if you wish to report a complaint or to learn about the complaint process. See making a privacy complaint.

* Retention schedule for multimedia