Can I complain to you that an agency didn’t do a good job when I asked for access (or correction) to my personal information?

This AskUs is about complaints about the way an agency has responded to your request for access to or correction of personal information. Read about how to make a complaint about any other privacy matter.(external link)

If you’d like our Office to review your concerns about the way an agency has responded (or not responded) to your request for access to your personal information, or your wish to correct your personal information, there are some things we need to see. These are:

• A copy of the request you made
• A copy of any response you have received from the agency
• Any other communication you have had with the agency about the request. For example:
  • If you haven’t received a response, evidence of you following up with it.
  • If you believe there is information missing, evidence of you raising this with the agency first.
  • Providing a copy of your statement of correction.

If you don’t have a copy of the request, please tell us the date the request was made, how it was made, to who, and what it was for. We are unlikely to take further action if:

• The agency is actively working on its response.
• You haven’t had a response from the agency, but it hasn’t been 20 working days since you made the request.
• There was a delay in responding to your request, but you have since received the information.
• The request or response are more than 12 months old.
• The agency has told you that the information doesn’t exist and you can’t corroborate (with an explanation or evidence) that it does or should.
• You haven’t followed up directly with the agency where there is a delay or if it hasn’t provided a timeframe.
• You haven’t clarified the scope of the request if there is any confusion about it.
• The request is not for or about your personal information.
• The agency has refused to correct the information but has added or offered to add a statement of correction.