At the moment (mid-April 2026) the Privacy Policy has reverted to its default, "stock" phpBB.com language. Yuck! Here's a shorter version; let us know what you think and again, in the spirit of privacy our snail mail address is care of P.O. Box 771, Postal Station "A" Toronto M5W 1G3. This is done for a reason; our postal "neighbours" at Station "A" include people like the CBC ‒ think The Fifth Estate here, and Matt Galloway's The Current radio program ‒ who've used *Box 500* for decades. So there!
** NOTE THAT THESE PRIVACY POLICY SUGGESTIONS WERE COMPILED WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF A.I. TOOLS **
The Toronto Renters’ Forum .dot com. Privacy Pledge
Last Updated on April 20, 2026
Since we used A.I. to compose this notes, it is incumbent upon us to have the material scrutinized by legal professionals and, preferably, via in-person meetings of users. However since the forum platform itself encourages and supports anonymity, even that much is a legal issue that will take some doing to solve.
Anyway the idea is that this restored forum site will be run by tenants, for tenants. It will probably not be a business corporation or a government agency, or a landlord’s data-mining project. We believe your privacy is a fundamental right, especially when discussing housing security.
1. What We Collect (And Why)
Account Details: When you register on-line the system asks for a user name and a valid TCP/IP (eg. "internet") e-mail Address. The software uses these to verify you aren’t a robot and, when necessary to let you reset your password.
Digital Footprints: Like almost every website, this one logs your IP address when you post. This is purely a security measure to slow down human spammers, "Spam-pocalypse" robots and other abusers and repeat offenders.
Cookies: the phpBB software uses small technical files (called “cookies”) solely to keep you logged in and remember your forum preferences
2. The "No-Sell" Guarantee
We will never sell, trade, or share your email or personal data with landlords, developers, property management companies, or third-party advertisers. Your participation here will not be used to build a "tenant profile" for anyone. If we feel any particular discussions warrant a sub-password (to access a private forum say, where we feel the material ought to be moved) then we will endeavour to tell you what we think and we'll help you navigate the change.
3. Your "Right to be Forgotten" (RTBF)
We recognize that life changes. If you posted something in the past that you now wish to remove for privacy or safety reasons:
Deletion: You can ask us to remove specific posts.
Anonymization: If you want to keep your contributions but hide your identity, we can "de-identify" your account (changing your name to something like "AnonymousTenant_123".
To request these types of changes, contact the Admin via the "Contact Us" link or write to Box 771 Station "A" Toronto M5W 1G3
4. Public vs. Private
Remember that this is in the main a public web site. Any information you post in a public forums thread can be seen by the general public. To protect your "on-the-ground" privacy we recommend that you avoid posting your specific apartment number or full legal name in public discussions.
One topic for future discussion is the rise of A.I. modules. A year ago Google Gemini (it's sort of like ChatGPT but from a different company) was a novelty; today it installs itself in Samsung devices whether you like it, or not. And large Canadian companies - like Bell Canada Enterprises - encourage this! Just bear in mind tha A.I.'s are notoriously clever at ferreting out details about all kinds of stuff, and there is no telling how powerful it will get, or what the end game really is.
5. Keeping It Secure
We use standard industry safeguards to protect the forum database. However, no web site anywhere is 100% "hacker-proof." We encourage you to use a unique password for this (torontorentersforum.com) site, one that you don't use elsewhere.
That's all for now. I would like to subject the above to reviews both by a firm of solicitors and, in upcoming meetings, by users. Remember that you don't have to use your real name, and we will NEVER ask you for your password or for money, on-line or over the telephone. Keep well and be safe.
- Admin Box 771 Station "A" Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5W 1G3