PPCDA Glossary

A practical glossary of PPCDA terms for Canadian SaaS teams — written for operators, not lawyers.

PPCDA introduces new terminology and reframes existing privacy concepts around evidence, ownership, and operational enforcement.

Core PPCDA Terms

DSAR

Data Subject Access Request — a user request to access, delete, or correct their data. PPCDA requires evidence for every step.

Evidence

Artifacts proving an action occurred: logs, exports, screenshots, deletion confirmations, access records.

Retention

The schedule defining how long data is kept. PPCDA requires proof of automated and manual deletion.

Access Control

Role-based permissions, MFA enforcement, privileged access restrictions, and revocation evidence.

Vendor Alignment

Proof that vendors enforce your retention, access, and deletion requirements — not their defaults.

Data Mapping

A list of all systems holding customer data — internal, vendor, legacy, and archived.

Detailed Definitions

DSAR (Data Subject Access Request)

A formal request from a user asking for access to, deletion of, or correction of their personal data. PPCDA requires timestamped logs, verification steps, exports, deletion proof, and a full audit trail.

Evidence

Any artifact proving a compliance action occurred. Examples: deletion logs, access logs, exports, screenshots, vendor confirmations, retention enforcement logs.

Retention Schedule

A documented timeline defining how long each category of data is stored. PPCDA requires proof of enforcement — automated deletion, manual deletion, and exception tracking.

Access Control

Permissions defining who can access which data. PPCDA requires evidence of MFA, role-based access, privileged access restrictions, and revocation logs.

Vendor Alignment

Vendors must enforce your retention, deletion, and access requirements. PPCDA requires evidence of alignment: deletion guarantees, access control proof, retention logs, and DSAR support.

Data Mapping

A complete list of systems holding customer data. PPCDA requires evidence of mapping accuracy, updates, and ownership across teams.

Audit Trail

A timestamped record of every action taken during a compliance workflow. PPCDA requires full audit trails for DSARs, retention enforcement, vendor reviews, and access control changes.

Deletion Confirmation

Proof that data was deleted — logs, screenshots, vendor confirmations, or system-level evidence.

Exception Tracking

Documentation for data that cannot be deleted due to legal or operational constraints. PPCDA requires justification and periodic review.

Security Controls

Technical safeguards protecting customer data. PPCDA requires evidence of encryption, logging, monitoring, vulnerability management, incident response, and backup verification.

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