Terms and conditions: social listening

The CNSC engages in social trends monitoring using a dedicated purpose-built software tool (the tool) that is provided by Meltwater News Canada, Inc. (Meltwater).

What does the tool do?

The tool searches, monitors, collects, and analyzes information from public social media and traditional media platforms. The tool uses this information to aggregate trends and find patterns in public sentiment.

Meltwater states that the tool complies with each media platform’s terms of service. Meltwater also states that the tool does not collect or process any information that is not publicly available, nor does it monitor private communication channels.

Why does the CNSC use the tool?

The CNSC uses the tool to support ongoing social listening and environmental scanning by monitoring and analyzing emerging and detected issues, trends, and conversations relevant to its mandate, with the objective of informing its upcoming communications.

This tool enables the CNSC to conduct broader and more targeted searches of publicly available social media content and to view the results in a consolidated format. This helps the CNSC better understand current public opinion, sentiment, and discussions on topics relevant to its mandate. Social media monitoring also supports the identification of emerging trends, the detection of misinformation, and the development of more effective communications products related to the CNSC’s programs, services, and mandate.

For example, the CNSC may monitor publicly available online discussions to identify trends related to an upcoming announcement. It may also use these insights to inform communications planning, including the selection of communication channels and regional considerations for target audiences.

How does the CNSC use the tool?

The CNSC uses the tool to analyze aggregate information for internal reporting purposes, supplemented by the aggregated analytics generated by the tool itself, to inform communications planning.

The tool is used to assess issue-specific conversation trends, including the volume of discussion, language and terminology used, sentiment (positive/negative), the geographic distribution of conversations, and other aggregate social media monitoring metrics.

The CNSC’s analyses always begin at the aggregate level. Keyword searches and filters are used only to examine group-level trends, such as topics, geography, or changes in the public environment over time. Filtered data remains aggregated and is not used to build profiles of specific individuals.

Reports focus on the most discussed topics and conversations relevant to the CNSC’s mandate. They do not identify ordinary individuals by name or social media handle.

Findings from the tool are not matched to CNSC records. Your interactions with the CNSC can in no way be affected by CNSC social media monitoring activities. The CNSC does not base any regulatory decisions or decisions with legal implications on the results or outputs generated by the tool.

The CNSC’s use of the tool is subject to Meltwater’s product terms of use.

What information does the tool collect?

The tool collects publicly available posts and user information from social media platforms, and generates links to these public posts, based on Boolean search criteria developed by the CNSC.

Information that may be collected by the tool includes public correspondence via social media channels and public information associated with the correspondence. The tool pulls from publicly available information provided by social media users: their public posts; their usernames; some data they have chosen to include in their social media profiles (e.g., name, city/country of residence); and some information associated with their profiles (e.g., profile photo, post engagement).

How does Meltwater manage any personal information collected?

The collection, processing, storage, and handling of personal information by Meltwater is subject to its privacy notice and data protection policies.

How does the CNSC manage any personal information collected?

Content made available to the CNSC by the tool may include your personal information; however, the CNSC will not collect your personal information from the tool.

The aggregate data and insights used by the CNSC are stored on internal sharing platforms.

Why does the CNSC collect personal information?

The CNSC collects personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act for the purpose of fulfilling its objects under subsection 9(b) of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act. You have the right to access to, correction of, and protection of, your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act.

When publicly available information is collected, used, disclosed, or retained by the CNSC, it is undertaken in furtherance of the CNSC’s communications programs and activities, and in support of the CNSC’s adherence to applicable Treasury Board policies, including the Policy on Communications and Federal Identity (issued under the Financial Administration Act) and the Directive on the Management of Communications and Federal Identity.

The collection, use, disclosure and retention of your personal information is further described in the standard Personal Information Bank – Public Communications (PSU 914).

Who can be contacted for support or ATIP requests?

Any questions, comments, concerns, or complaints you may have regarding the CNSC’s handling of your personal information may be directed to the CNSC’s Privacy Office by emailing atip-aiprp@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca. Any requests regarding access to personal information can be emailed to the CNSC’s ATIP division at atip-aiprp@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca.

You have the right to file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada about the handling of your personal information.