Privacy
TELUS is committed to respecting the privacy of our customers and team members and has a long-standing policy of protecting their privacy in all of our business operations. The TELUS Privacy Code sets out the principles that govern the collection, use and disclosure of customers’ and team members’ personal information. The code reflects the requirements of Canada’s privacy legislation, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, and our continuing commitment to protect both customers’ and team members’ private information.
Safe driving
All provincial and territorial governments across the country, with the exception of Nunavut have passed legislation making it illegal to drive while using a handheld wireless device. Alberta, New Brunswick and the Northwest Territories passed and enacted this legislation in 2011.TELUS promotes responsible driving and recommends that driving safely should be every wireless customer’s first priority. We offer a wide range of hands-free devices to help drivers keep both hands on the steering wheel as well as important safety tips.
Mobile and Internet safety
Making the Internet safer for families, especially children, continues to be a key priority for TELUS. We provide financial support to the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P), which operates Cybertip.ca, Canada's national tip line for reporting the online sexual exploitation of children. TELUS has sponsored C3P’s development of mobile safety materials that provide parents and anyone invested in the personal safety of children with knowledge about the benefits and risks while using cell phones. As cell phones evolve from a traditional phone to a device providing all of the features of a personal computer, it is important that parents view these devices in the same way as their home computer. For their own protection, children need to be guided on both the advantages and risks of new technology.
TELUS is also a long-time supporter of Internet and media literacy education through the Media Awareness Network (MNet), which promotes critical thinking in young people regarding various forms of media through classroom and online materials.
Cell Phone Safety. Download now (PDF)
Radiofrequency emission concerns
Cell phones emit low levels of non-ionizing radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields. A small number of epidemiological studies have indicated that exposure to RF fields might be linked to certain cancers, while other studies have not supported this association. Furthermore, animal cancer and laboratory studies have found no evidence that RF fields are carcinogenic to laboratory rodents and cause DNA damage. In May 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) noted that a positive association has been observed between long-term, heavy use of mobile phones and certain brain cancers for which a causal interpretation is considered to be credible, but that chance, bias or confounding could not be ruled out with reasonable confidence.
The IARC classified RF electromagnetic fields from wireless phones as possibly carcinogenic to humans – a classification that now includes 271 items such as chloroform, coffee and nickel. The IARC also called
for additional research into long-term, heavy use of mobile phones. In October 2011, Health Canada updated its Safety of Cell Phones and Cell Phone Towers advisory, noting that the link between RF emission exposure and cancer risk is far from conclusive and more research is needed. The IARC and Health Canada have advised cell phone users that they can take practical measures to reduce their RF emission exposure, such as limiting the length of cell phone calls, using hands-free devices, and replacing cell phone calls with text messages. In addition, TELUS and Health Canada encourages parents to take these measures to reduce their children’s RF emission exposure from cell phones since children are typically more sensitive to a variety of environmental agents.
There can be no assurance that future studies, government regulations or public concerns about the health effects of RF emissions will not have an adverse effect on the business and prospects of TELUS.
For example, public concerns could reduce subscriber growth and usage, and increase costs as a result of modifying handsets, relocating wireless towers, and addressing incremental legal requirements and product liability lawsuits. TELUS continues to monitor developments in this area and understands that Industry Canada is responsible for establishing safe limits for signal levels of radio devices. TELUS believes that the handsets it sells, as well as its cell towers and other associated devices, comply with all applicable Canadian and U.S. government safety standards.