What can a Private Investigator legally do in Canada?
Private investigators are legally allowed to do a wide range of work in Canada. An individual can hire a private investigator to do work related to background checks, surveillance, asset searches, financial investigations, and much more.
In particular, The Preston Matthews Group offers services related to detective and private investigations, surveillance, open source research & OSINT, fraud examinations, corporate investigation services, cryptocurrency investigations, and blockchain forensics. Essentially, anything related to research, surveillance, and investigation, a private investigator is legally allowed to do. This includes:* Taking photos without consent* Conducting background and criminal checks* Conducting mobile or static surveillance without consent* Interviewing individuals* Taking advantage of open source information through OSINT* Reviewing business and corporate documents* Pretend to be a non-law enforcement individual
However, this is all contingent on the private investigator being licensed in the province they operate in. In British Columbia, a security workers license that designates private investigation is required.
The main legislation that bounds private investigators is PIPEDA, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. This federal legislation regulates privacy; in particular, it states when private individuals are allowed to collect, use, and dispose personal information.
Due to PIPEDA and other provincial and federal legislation, a private investigator cannot do the following:* Trespass onto private property* Hack into private devices* Record conversations without consent* Pretend to be law enforcement
In particular, The Preston Matthews Group offers services related to detective and private investigations, surveillance, open source research & OSINT, fraud examinations, corporate investigation services, cryptocurrency investigations, and blockchain forensics. Essentially, anything related to research, surveillance, and investigation, a private investigator is legally allowed to do. This includes:* Taking photos without consent* Conducting background and criminal checks* Conducting mobile or static surveillance without consent* Interviewing individuals* Taking advantage of open source information through OSINT* Reviewing business and corporate documents* Pretend to be a non-law enforcement individual
However, this is all contingent on the private investigator being licensed in the province they operate in. In British Columbia, a security workers license that designates private investigation is required.
The main legislation that bounds private investigators is PIPEDA, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. This federal legislation regulates privacy; in particular, it states when private individuals are allowed to collect, use, and dispose personal information.
Due to PIPEDA and other provincial and federal legislation, a private investigator cannot do the following:* Trespass onto private property* Hack into private devices* Record conversations without consent* Pretend to be law enforcement
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