Complying with PIPEDA: A Guide for Shopify Store Owners in Canada

PIPEDA Compliance is the newest addition to the Consentmo app. It will help you make your Shopify store compliant with the PIPEDA law. What is the PIPEDA law? It represents a Canadian data privacy law that regulates how businesses collect and use personal data within the Canadian territory. In this article, we will share all the steps you need to follow in order to get compliant.
Now, we will explain what you will need to do if you are a new user of the app and respectively if you are an existing user. Let’s start with the new users:

I am a new user, how should I proceed?

When installing the app, the Quick Setup is the first step that you will need to go through. There you need to make sure that you select GDPR as a location where the Cookie Bar will be shown. Once you enable the app for this region it will be visible for Canadian visitors as well.

When you are done with the Quick Setup you will be forwarded to the Dashboard where you will see the specific regions for which you just have enabled the app.

The next thing you will need to do is to create the PIPEDA Compliance page:

1. Download the .zip file from section 112 from the FAQ page

2. In the Admin side of your store, navigate to Online Store

3. Click on Pages 

4. Then click on the Add page button

4. Once you are in the create screen, click on the Show HTML button

5. Paste the content of the .txt file inside the content field.

6. Go back to the normal view and add a title to the page. In this case, you should write PIPEDA Compliance.

When you are done Save the settings and click the View page button in order to see how it will look like on the front end.

Here is how the PIPEDA Compliance page looks like on your storefront

We would recommend adding the PIPEDA Compliance page to the footer of your store, so it will be easier for your customers to access it. Follow the steps below in order to add it:

1. Go to Online Store

2. Click on Navigation

3. Then select Footer Menu

4. Click on the Add menu item

5. Next, add a name for the link, here our example footer link will show PIPEDA Compliance page

6. Lastly, select the PIPEDA Compliance page in order to add it

Now let's try submitting a random request. As an example we can submit a request for Editing your personal account information:

1. Click on Edit your account information

2. Enter your email address and click on Submit

3. Confirm your consent on giving your email and IP address for the purpose of the request submission.

When submitting the request mentioned above, the customer will receive an email notification in regards to it.

This is how the Request Email for Editing account information looks like

Note: If you are testing as an admin of the store, don’t forget to use another email address for the test - different from the admin email address.

By clicking on the button in the email the customer will be forwarded to the Request page where the account information can be edited.

This is how the Request Page for Editing account information looks like

What if I am an existing user?

If you are an existing user you will need to go through the process of creating the PIPEDA Compliance page mentioned above in order to make your Shopify store compliant with the Canadian regulations.

After creating the page, make sure to add it to the footer of your store, so it will be easier for your customers to access it. Then, you can try submitting a request in order to check whether everything works correctly.

Note: If you are testing as an admin of the store, don’t forget to use another email address for the test - different from the admin email address.

That's that for the PIPEDA Compliance and the steps you should follow in order be compliant with the Canadian regulations.

In case of any questions feel free to reach out to us via chat or email.