The privacy commissioners of Canada and British Columbia have launched an investigation into a Victoria-based company that performs background checks on tenants and others.

They say in a joint statement that Certn is being assessed to make sure it complies with the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and B.C.B次元官网网址檚 Personal Information Protection Act.

The commissioners say they will investigate whether B次元官网网址渃onsent provisionsB次元官网网址� in both laws are being followed, and whether the data it collects is being used appropriately.

CertnB次元官网网址檚 website says that instead of using B次元官网网址渙utdatedB次元官网网址� manual screening for clients, it performs background checks using B次元官网网址�100 per cent online automated checks,B次元官网网址� and can conduct criminal record checks, identity checks, and employment verification in more than 200 countries.

The company wasnB次元官网网址檛 immediately available for comment on the investigation by the commissioners.

Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne says in a news release that personal information collected about potential tenants must be collected with consent and must be accurate because it B次元官网网址渕ay ultimately impact an individualsB次元官网网址� ability to find a place to live.B次元官网网址�

B.C. Privacy Commissioner Michael Harvey says thereB次元官网网址檚 a balance between the privacy rights of individuals and the needs of businesses to collect information about them.

B次元官网网址淎t a time when hundreds of thousands of British Columbians are facing affordability and housing challenges, striking this balance and ensuring that peopleB次元官网网址檚 privacy rights are respected in the rental space is critically important,B次元官网网址� he said in the release.

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The Canadian Press