QuitNow Privacy Policy

QuitNow is a free program for British Columbians looking to quit or reduce tobacco and e-cigarette use, delivered by the BC Lung Foundation on behalf of the Government of British Columbia.

While delivering smoking cessation services to program members, the BC Lung Foundation collects, uses and discloses personal information in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA) and other applicable legislation.

The purpose of this privacy statement is to inform you of the personal information that may be collected from you when visiting the QuitNow website and how that information may be used.

 

Collection of Your Personal Information

Through enrollment in the QuitNow program, you grant consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Information you provide us

The information you provide us is subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act 26 (c)&(e) and is used to provide smoking and vaping cessation services to you and for ongoing research and program evaluation of our services. We collect personal information which you supply by registering with and using the QuitNow Web, Text or Phone Services.

This includes information that you provide when you:

(a) register and create your membership profile,
(b) fill out surveys,
(c) select a quit date and cessation options on your membership profile,
(d) request support from qualified Quit Coaching staff,
(e) post content to the Community Forum.
(f) subscribe to SMS-based services.

Please be advised that personally identifying information or personally sensitive data disclosed when posting to the QuitNow Community Forum or on QuitNow social media channels may result in that information being collected and used by others.

Some personal information, such as your quit date, User Name (or 'handle') will be made visible to others on the Community Forum. Please review your privacy settings carefully before sharing information on the QuitNow Website.

 

Information Automatically Collected

There is also information about your computer hardware and software that is automatically collected by the QuitNow Website and Live Chat Service.

Information collected via the QuitNow Website may include the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer, the IP address of your internet service provider, the date and time you access the website, the operating system you are using, and pages of the website that you visit.

This non-identifying information is used for the operation of the website, to maintain quality of the service, and to provide general statistics regarding use of the website.

The information the QuitNow Live Chat service collects may include the IP address of your computer, browser type and operating system, date and time you access the website, and pages visited.

The Live Chat also collects the first name and email address of program members at the onset of a Chat request, and stores a secure log of the chat itself. A transcript of the Live Chat may be instantly downloaded by the Program Member upon Chat completion. Chat logs are used to evaluate the quality of cessation services delivered.

 

Use of Cookies

The QuitNow Website uses “cookies” to allow us to tailor your experience at our web service to be more helpful.

A “cookie” is a text file that is placed on your hard disk by a web page server. You may choose to decline cookies if your browser permits.

Use of Your Personal Information for Service Management

The BC Lung Foundation collects and uses your personal information to operate the QuitNow Website and to deliver services you have requested.

If you register with our program, we use the email address you provide to contact you for account administration purposes, and for program evaluation surveys.

If you subscribe to our Text Tips service, your mobile phone number will be used to deliver messages to your mobile device using SMS.

One form of support provided by the QuitNow Website is online, telephone and Live Chat counselling, conducted by trained Quit Coaches. If you contact a Quit Coach using any of these methods, that Coach may view information relating to previously conducted Live Chat Logs, and other previously logged information relating to your smoking cessation efforts while using the QuitNow program and services. All Coaches are subject to strict privacy policies to ensure confidentiality of your information.

 

Use of Your Personal Information for Technical Support

We also use the information we collect about you to operate and improve our website, including limited access to the Program database for the purpose of troubleshooting technical support or content issues. All QuitNow Website technical support staff are subject to strict privacy policies to ensure confidentiality of your information.

Please be advised that reporting a problem with a Member Profile or service, may require that we access your user information to identify the issue.

Disclosure of Your Personal Information

All personal information collected via QuitNow Website is subject to the rules and protections outlined within the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA).

Personal information is never shared with outside organizations, with the sole exception of information regarding individual program outcomes back to referring Health Care Providers, and subject to explicit consent obtained at the moment of the patient's referral to the QuitNow program. Health Care Providers may refer patients to the QuitNow program without this option selected.

Information Hosting and Management

The BC Lung Foundation manages the QuitNow Website and web-based services. The QuitNow Online Website and all associated services, excluding SMS-based services, are secured, are hosted and stored on servers located in Canada.

QuitNow’s Text Tips service requires the temporary processing of personal information outside of Canada. Personal information related to this service is limited to the mobile phone number of the subscriber, plus the associated SMS message. This information is shared securely, using advanced encryption standards (TLS v1.2) to a Virtual Private Cloud, and is encrypted and deleted immediately after processing.

QuitNow Text Tips complies with FOIPPA section 33.1 (1) (p.1).

Security of Your Personal Information

In operating the QuitNow Website, the BC Lung Foundation secures your personal information against unauthorized access, use or disclosure. The BC Lung Foundation secures the personally identifying information you provide on computer servers in controlled, secured environments, protected against unauthorized access, use or disclosure.

Employees and contractors engaged in the operation of the QuitNow Website are subject to strict privacy policies to ensure confidentiality of your information.

Limitations of BC Lung Privacy Policy

The QuitNow Online Website may contain optional links to local organizations, websites and resources that are subject to different privacy policies. Please be aware that if you choose to leave our site via a link, the BC Lung Foundation assumes no responsibility for the privacy practices or the content of other websites.

We encourage you to review the privacy statements of websites you choose to link to the QuitNow Online Web Service so that you can understand how those websites collect, use and share your personal information.

Evolving Practices

This statement is in effect as of September 1, 2011. The development of the BC Lung Foundation's procedures for protection of personal information is an ongoing process. Due to changes in technology and legal requirements and other reasons, the BC Lung Foundation will from time to time review and revise this statement.

New versions of this statement will be posted here. Accordingly, when you use the QuitNow Website, please note the date of this statement and review any changes since the last version.

Additional Information

Please review the BC Lung Foundation's Privacy Policy for further information.

How to Contact Us

You may contact us regarding your questions or concerns about our privacy practices at:

Privacy Officer
British Columbia Lung Foundation
2675 Oak St, Vancouver, BC V6H 2K2
Phone: 604.731.LUNG (5864)
Email: privacy.officer@bclung.ca

Last updated: January 2022