Commissioner issues guidance on personal email and IM

Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner has issued new guidance on the use of personal email and instant messaging for business purposes.

Arising from a recent order to the City of Oshawa regarding a Councillor's use of personal email for public business, the guidance is intended to alert public institutions to the fact that email and text messages pertaining to institutional business--even if sent or received using a personal account--are subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and are potentially disclosable in response to a FIPPA request.  Additionally, such records should be retained in an institutional recordkeeping system.