Privacy Policy

The Pacific Institute of Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) is committed to respecting the privacy of all individuals. This document outlines the standards for electronic data collection and use to ensure all members of the PIMS community and public understand and are comfortable with the stewardship of their privacy.

Email Addresses

Email addresses are provided by the institution to faculty and staff to allow them to perform work on behalf of PIMS. PIMS email addresses will not be disclosed to third parties for non-PIMS related business purposes. PIMS maintain the right to use these addresses to contact users for matters of emergency or significant importance to the PIMS community.
PIMS may request non-PIMS email addresses only for the purposes that are clearly explained at the time of request. Email addresses will not be used outside of that context and will be kept in strictest confidence.

Collection, Use and Disclosure of Personal Information

Where personal information is collected and then stored within PIMS electronic records systems, it will be collected in compliance with the British Columbia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). Personal Information collected is used only for the specific purpose it was collected, is disclosed only for the purpose it was collected and is kept only for the length of time required for that specific purpose.

Web Logs and Cookies

When visiting PIMS websites, data collected will not be used to identify individuals but the data collected may be used by PIMS to track web site user behaviour. This data is used only to provide statistical analysis of web site use for the purpose of improving the usefulness of the website.
Where required, our website may store cookies in your browser to help track and analyze user behaviour as well as facilitate certain functions and behaviours (e.g. login sessions). These cookies are only used only to enhance the user experience of the website.

Linking to Other Sites

Where required PIMS will link our website to other websites. The institute strives to ensure the accuracy of these linkages but PIMS is not responsible for the content on these external web sites, which may change without notice. PIMS is not responsible for content deemed offensive or for the privacy policies or statements in effect on outside websites.

Security of Data

PIMS maintains strict data security standards when asking for personal information. Where required (e.g. for event registration), credit card information is not processed or stored by PIMS, but by a secure gateway operated by the University of British Columbia. PIMS uses industry standard encryption with a signed web certificate to guarantee the safety of data in transmission.