Technology – Working to Keep Canadian Data in Canada

Sandra Dunham

Recently “elbows up” and Canada first have been slogans that many people have lined up behind. Figuring out what is Canadian, what is American, and what you can do about it has become a preoccupation for many. CFIC wants you to know that we have thought about this too and are considering ways to make Canada’s charity for reason, compassion, and secular human values more Canadian. CFIC uses many American technologies for regular business. We are looking at alternatives. 

For example, many CFIC members and donors use PayPal for this purpose. CFIC welcomes you to continue with PayPal if you prefer, but wants you to know that there are other options:

•  Canada Helps is a Canadian Charity that accepts donations and passes them along to the donor-specified recipient. One-time and monthly gifts can be made this way. Memberships can also be purchased through Canada Helps, although it does not offer the same annual auto-renew feature that PayPal does. (Please note that when donating via Canada Helps, they will automatically include an option to make a donation to them. If you choose not to make this additional donation, please be sure to watch for the prompt to deselect this option prior to completing your payment.)
• Interac e-transfer is an easy way to donate to CFIC. Some banks allow you to set up recurring donations. For people who prefer to donate this way, whose banks are unable to make this happen, CFIC will pilot test sending requests for annual or monthly transfers.  (Please note that this does not require you to provide any financial details, and it does not enable CFIC to “take” money from your account) Much like when you receive an etransfer, you will receive a request for an etransfer and can choose to make or decline the transfer.  If you wish to be a part of this pilot project, please email Sandra Dunham – sdunham@centreforinquiry.ca and we can let you know how to be involved.
• Of course, CFIC does still accept cheques, although we are aware that writing cheques also can be risky.

US technologies seem to dominate the IT sector. Not only does this cause us to spend money outside of Canada, but it also causes us concern as any data and metadata stored on American servers is subject to search and seizure under the US Patriot Act. Over the next year, we will be investigating Canadian alternatives. If you have knowledge about well-functioning Canadian technologies that you think we would find useful, we’d love to hear from you. As we move forward, we will keep you apprised of any changes we have been able to make.