Privacy

Commitment

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation is committed to respecting the privacy of individuals who use the Ontario 511 website and mobile application. This Privacy policy explains what information may be collected, how it is used, and the circumstances under which it may be disclosed.

This policy doesn't apply to anyone who isn't under our control or management, such as the operators of other websites that you might link to from our website. Such operators may have their own privacy policies, which might differ from ours.

We will use personal information in accordance with the Privacy policy in effect at the time the information was collected. If we decide to change our Privacy policy, we will post a notice on our website so that you can view it. If at some point we would like to start using your personal information in a manner different from that stated at the time it was collected, we will first ask for your consent.

Ontario 511 Website and My511 Services

Collection and Choice

You are under no obligation to provide personal information to use most features of the Ontario 511 website. There is no charge to access Ontario 511 services or to create a My511 account.

Information You Choose to Provide

If you register for My511 services, the ministry may collect information that you voluntarily provide, including:

  • Username (mandatory)

  • Password (mandatory)

  • Email address (mandatory)

  • Telephone number (optional)

  • Travel routes and other location information (optional)

This information is collected to:

  • Provide personalized traveller information services;

  • Save route preferences;

  • Respond to inquiries and service requests; and

  • Support future improvements to My511 services.

Automatic Information Collection

When you browse, view, or download information from the Ontario 511 website, limited information is automatically collected for operational, security, and statistical purposes.
This information may include:

  • Internet Protocol (IP) addresses;

  • Browser type and version;

  • Operating system information;

  • Internet service provider information;

  • Date and time of access;

  • Pages viewed; and

  • Names and sizes of files requested.

This information is used to:

  • Monitor website performance (Google Analytics);

  • Improve user experience;

  • Analyze operational trends; and

  • Maintain website security.

As a general practice, the ministry does not attempt to identify individual visitors using this information.

Use and Disclosure

Personal information collected through My511 services is used only for purposes related to delivering and improving Ontario 511 services and providing a personalized experience.
Information provided by registered My511 users is stored securely by Ontario 511's service provider and is not disclosed to third parties without consent unless required or authorized by law.

Retention

Ontario 511 retains the personal information that you provide for as long as necessary to fulfil the administration of My 511 Services. If you decide to delete your My511 account, Ontario 511 will no longer retain your information.

Ontario 511 Mobile Application Advertising Measurement

The Ministry of Transportation is running a winter driving campaign to encourage people to install the Ontario 511 app. To measure whether the campaign worked, this app sends a record of your installation to Meta and to Google.

Authority

The Ministry of Transportation collects this personal information under the authority of section 38(2) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F.31, the collection being necessary to the proper administration of a lawfully authorized activity — the delivery and promotion of the Ontario 511 traveler information service by the Ministry of Transportation, which is continued under the Ministry of Transportation Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.36.

Purpose

The information is used to count how many installations of this app followed an advertisement in the ministry's winter driving campaign, and to report that count. It is also used to understand whether people who install the app go on to use it, so that the ministry can judge whether the service is reaching the people it is intended for.
 

Who receives it, and what they receive:

Meta

  • Receives a record that this device installed and opened the app, together with device and network information — your device model and settings, your mobile carrier or internet provider, your language and time zone, your Internet Protocol address, and an advertising identifier where your device settings permit one.

Google

  • Receives a record that this device installed and opened the app, an identifier generated for this installation, your device and operating system information, and your Internet Protocol address, from which an approximate location — country, province and city — is derived.

Apple

  • Receives no information about you attributable to this campaign; its advertising measurement is performed on your own device and reports totals only.

What Meta and Google do with it

Google has told the ministry that it uses this information only to report on the ministry's campaign and does not share it or use it to enrich its other services.
Meta uses the information both to report on the ministry's campaign and for its own advertising purposes, including improving the advertisements it shows people. The ministry cannot change Meta's terms, which apply to every advertiser on that platform.

How long they keep it

The ministry does not control how long these companies keep information, and it cannot retrieve or delete it on your behalf.

What the ministry receives

The ministry receives totals only: how many advertisements were shown, how many were tapped, and how many installations followed. It does not receive any record about you as an individual, and it cannot identify you from what it receives.

Who this applies to

This measurement applies to everyone who installs the Ontario 511 app while it is running, whether or not you saw one of the ministry's advertisements. If you found the app by searching the app store, followed a link from a website, or reinstalled it after changing your phone, it applies to you too.

Your choices

You can decline the measurement when this app asks you, and nothing will be sent. You can also limit advertising identifiers in your device's own privacy settings. Declining does not affect your use of the Ontario 511 app in any way.

Your rights, and who to ask

You have a right of access to your own personal information under section 47(1) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Because the ministry holds no record about you as an individual, a request to the ministry will confirm that it holds nothing.

To ask Meta or Google what they hold, use each company's own privacy and access tools.

Questions & Concerns

Ontario 511 Feedback, Ministry of Transportation
301 St. Paul Street
511Feedback@ontario.ca