Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada: Contributions Program 2026-27

Overview

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) is interested in receiving proposals for projects that increase knowledge and awareness with respect to protecting privacy while online gaming.

Potential questions that could be avenues of research or public outreach for funding applicants in this year’s call for proposals include:

• What types of personal data are most collected by gaming companies and streaming platforms? How transparent are companies about their practices? How do interactive gaming environments (where engagement models, user interfaces and content design rely heavily on real-time user interaction and behavioural data) challenge traditional privacy frameworks compared to other digital services?
• What kind of information do gaming companies have access to (e.g., demographic information, viewing habits, search history, third-party data, user interactions)? How clear is this information in their terms of service and privacy policies? Are these services ensuring that users are meaningfully consenting to their practices?
• How much information do gaming companies and streaming platforms collect regarding children and young adults? How are they using and sharing that information?
• How effective are parental controls and safeguards in protecting the online privacy of young players? Do young people feel empowered to exercise their privacy rights while gaming?
• What information are these companies and platforms using to personalize recommendations, improve the user interface, optimize content delivery and tailor advertisements? Do algorithmic recommendations in these platforms raise privacy concerns?
• Digital Rights Management (DRM) in video games is more common as this technology is used by companies to control how players use a game after they purchase it. What information do they collect? How is this information used? How is it communicated?
• What potential solutions exist so that users can prioritize their privacy while online gaming?

Funding Value and Duration

The budget for the OPC’s Contributions Program is $500,000 annually. They are making the entire amount available as part of the present call for applications.

OPC awards up to $100,000 to any single project and a maximum of $200,000 per recipient organization.

The Contributions Program is structured to provide funding for eligible expenses that are incurred within the fiscal year during which the funding has been awarded (between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027).

Eligibility Criteria

Only not-for-profit organizations (including consumer, voluntary and advocacy organizations, educational institutions, and industry and trade associations) are eligible for funding.

The Contributions Program is administered under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), which governs the collection, use or disclosure of personal information by organizations in the course of commercial activities. Accordingly, only research or public awareness proposals that address privacy issues in the private sector will be considered. Proposals that touch on issues falling within the federal public sector can be submitted, provided that the primary focus of the proposal deals with the private sector.

Sponsor’s Website

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada: Contributions Program 2026-27

Internal Contacts

Faculty Research Facilitators

Deadlines

Submitting Your Application

1. Log in to cuResearch and submit an internal Carleton Approval Form. Review the cuResearch user’s manual.
2. Submit an external application to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada by following their submission guidelines.