Security
How can I be sure the census website is legitimate?
A legitimate Government of Canada website can be identified in several ways. When completing your online recruitment application, look for these features:
- The site URL in the browser address bar should end with “.gc.ca”. This suffix is used by the Government of Canada and operated by Government Telecommunications and Informatics Services.
- On the census website, you will be presented with an “Apply now” button. Once you use this button, you will notice the URL in the browser address bar changes to https://surveys-enquetes.statcan.gc.ca/cap-par/en/OLRA.
- The security certificate is provided by Entrust and clearly identifies Statistics Canada as the owner of the site.
How secure are my data?
The Statistics Act protects respondents’ information.
All Statistics Canada employees take an oath of secrecy and face severe penalties for any breach of confidentiality. Only employees who need to view confidential files as part of their duties are authorized to access them. A network of physical security systems and procedures protects confidential information against unauthorized access.
Confidential data are stored and processed on an internal network that is sequestered to prevent access by outside hackers.
Does anyone see my information during transmission?
No. Information is transmitted from your computer to Statistics Canada using a secure encryption protocol.
What happens to the completed application after I submit it?
Completed online recruitment applications are sent directly to Statistics Canada’s headquarters in Ottawa. Encryption, or encoding, ensures that only authorized Statistics Canada employees may access the files. The information from the application is then transferred to a separate Statistics Canada computer network that is not connected to any outside network.
How does Statistics Canada stop hackers or other unauthorized people from accessing census information?
Statistics Canada takes every precaution to protect your information. Transport Layer Security (also known as TLS) enhances the privacy of the information passing between your browser and our servers. By encrypting the information, this protocol provides a safe passage for data transmission and authentication.
Sophisticated security techniques, software, hardware and procedures are used to protect your information. Census data are processed and stored on a highly restricted internal network and cannot be accessed by anyone who has not taken the oath of secrecy. Data submitted to our web servers are encrypted before being stored, and they remain encrypted until they are transferred to the high-security internal network.
What if I have a firewall or anti-virus software?
If you have a firewall, you may have problems connecting to Statistics Canada’s secure servers. You may need to change the settings on your firewall to allow communication between Statistics Canada’s servers and your computer. The same will apply to any anti-virus software you have.
What can I do to ensure my security during online sessions?
Clear your browser’s cache. Most browsers cache images or files that you have viewed and store them locally to improve performance. It is important to clear your browser’s cache after online sessions to keep others from being able to view your information later. Some browsers have an option to not cache encrypted sessions.
Does the online recruitment application have security features built in so that information is protected in the event of system failure?
Yes. In the event of a system failure, respondents’ data are not accessible to outside people or systems. Internally, safeguards are in place to ensure that there is no unauthorized access to data.