Privacy Policy
This privacy policy is established and followed by the party identified as the “Sponsor” of the promotion for which you have received an offer package by mail (the “Promotion”). All references in this Policy to “we” or “our” (or similar references) are references to the party identified as the Sponsor in the Promotion materials that were sent to you, and the affiliated companies and service providers of that Sponsor. This privacy policy is available on the Sponsor’s website: www.sweeps-services.com, and by mail from the Sponsor upon request.
We know that you take your privacy seriously, which is why we have developed this privacy policy to explain our personal information collection and use practices. We have made this policy available online for our customers’ convenience, and a written copy of this policy can be obtained upon your written request to the contact address for the Sponsor listed in the Promotion materials you have received.
We may occasionally change our Promotions and their features and content. Consequently, our privacy policy may be modified to reflect those changes or other factors which may emerge from time to time. We suggest that our customers revisit our website and review our privacy policy regularly, to be sure that you are familiar with our current practices.
ACCEPTANCE OF PRIVACY POLICY
By completing and submitting a registration or entry form to the Sponsor to participate in the Promotion (whether you are doing so pursuant to a “no purchase option” or if you are making a purchase of any of our products or services), you signify your agreement to our privacy policy, as it may be changed from time to time. If you do not consent to our use of your personal information as outlined in this privacy policy, you have two choices: (a) you can elect not to participate in the Promotion, in which case no personal information about you will be assembled or dealt with by the Sponsor; or (b) you can submit your entry or registration form pursuant to the Promotion and advise us pursuant to the “opt out” process described later in this privacy policy that you do not wish your personal information to be used or disclosed to third parties. Please note, however, that if you request that your personal information be removed from our records, it may hinder our ability to contact you if we need to do so in connection with your Promotion entry.
This privacy policy, as it may be amended from time to time, and all of our legal obligations under this policy are subject to the laws of British Columbia, Canada, regardless of the location of any of our customers, Promotion entrants, or other persons who may be accessing this site.
This privacy policy is intended to comply with the Sponsor’s obligations under existing Canadian and British Columbia laws pertaining to the protection and use of personal information. This policy was last updated in September, 2007.
WHY DO WE COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION?
We need to collect certain personal information from our customers in order to process and fulfill their purchases of goods and services from us and to record and deal with their entries or registrations in the Promotion. For example, we need your full name and address to enter you in the Promotion, notify you if you are the recipient of a prize or other promotional item, and to send you any goods or services which you have purchased. We may also use the personal data we collect for systems administration and troubleshooting purposes, and to track our marketing campaigns and product sales.
We also collect and use information which has been voluntarily submitted to us by our customers and participants in the Promotion, including their names and addresses, to compile a general mailing list (our “Mailing List”). The only personal information which is contained in our Mailing List is information that you have voluntarily provided to us, such as your name and address. We (and our affiliated companies) use this Mailing List for our own internal marketing purposes, so that we can send you information concerning other products, services and promotions which we offer and which we think you may be interested in purchasing or participating in.
We also make our list available to other direct marketing companies, who may send you directly information about products or services that they may be offering for sale or offer you the opportunity to participate in their promotional campaigns. The privacy policies of those other companies may differ from ours, so if you receive anything from any other company that you do not wish to receive, you will need to contact those companies directly.
If you do not want to receive such offers, you may follow the simple opt-out procedure described below.
HOW AND WHAT INFORMATION DO WE GATHER?
We collect personal information from our customers and Promotion participants mainly during the initial registration or entry process for the Promotion, game play, or order processing. All of the personal identifying information we collect is provided to us voluntarily. Although some of the personal identifying information is necessary to deliver these services (e.g., an address is required to buy goods and services and to enter sweepstakes games), some other information is circumstantial (e.g., your decision to enter the Promotion is an indication that you are interested in the kinds of goods and services offered in the Promotion or in similar contests, etc.). The personal information participants in the Promotion provide to us may be combined with other information (such as demographic information and past purchase information) available from our records, from records compiled by our affiliated companies, and other sources.
Where goods or services are purchased from us we (and in some cases service bureaus who handle payment processing and other transactions for us) may obtain some financial information, such as bank account information if a customer pays by cheque. However, this information is only retained until the customer’s payment is processed, and is then purged from our records, and our instructions to our service bureaus require it to be purged from their records at the same time. It is never shared with anyone outside our organization, affiliates and service bureaus. Customers who do not wish to share financial information with us can make payment using an alternate method, such as a bank draft or money order, if they so choose.
We may segregate our Mailing List according to our customers’ specific interests and needs. For example, if your participation in the Promotion indicates an interest in contests and sweepstakes, we may compile a smaller version of our Mailing List which comprises all of our customers who share those interests. We may also share those smaller versions of our Mailing List with other direct marketing companies, as outlined above.
DO WE DISCLOSE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION TO THIRD PARTIES?
As noted in this policy, with your consent we do compile a general Mailing List and various smaller versions of that Mailing List, and we do use that Mailing List internally and provide it (or smaller versions of it) to other direct marketing companies. However, the personal information which is contained in our Mailing List is limited to information which you have voluntarily provided to us, such as your name and address, and to criteria regarding your potential interests and other demographic and geographic information. As noted above, no financial information we may obtain is ever provided to anyone outside the Sponsor’s organization, affiliates and service bureaus.
We believe that consumers should be able to control the use of their data. We will not share personally identifiable information with any person outside of our affiliated companies and service bureaus if you follow the simple opt-out procedure described below. If an opt-out is not submitted, we will rely upon your consent to our use and disclosure of your personal information as set out in the rule of the Promotion and arising from your decision to participate in the Promotion.
We will immediately cease renting or selling a customer’s personal data to third parties as soon as we receive an opt-out notice from that customer as outlined below. In the event of a merger, acquisition, or change of control of the Sponsor, customer data would be considered a business asset and would be transferred. We will disclose information we maintain when required to do so by law; for example, in response to a court order or a subpoena. We may also disclose personal information to protect the safety and security of our users or in circumstances where we reasonably believe that doing so is in your best interests.
CAN YOU OPT-OUT OF OUR DATA COLLECTION AND/OR DISTRIBUTION?
Providing personal information to the Sponsor is optional. As noted earlier, while some basic data is necessary to provide certain services, such as entry into the Promotion and fulfillment of products and services ordered from us, a customer can elect not to participate in a Promotion or make any purchase, and in that event no personal information will be collected. In addition, even where a customer provides certain information in order to participate or purchase goods or services, other information, such as financial information, does not need to be provided if alternate means of payment are used.
You have the right to opt-out of our Mailing List. If you follow either of the opt-out options outlined below, we will immediately remove your name and address from our Mailing List, we will cease contacting you with promotional offers and we will cease sharing personally identifiable information about you with persons outside our affiliated group and service bureaus.
In order to opt-out, you may do either of the following:
- You may send an email to info@sweeps-services.com; or
- You may write to the Sponsor at the mailing address set out in the Promotion materials which were mailed to you
and in either case you must provide us with the following information:
- Your name and address as they appear on the Promotion materials that were mailed to you;
- Your pre-selected sweepstakes entry number as printed in the Promotion materials that were mailed to you; and
- A written request to be removed from our Mailing List.
If, prior to receiving your opt-out request, we have provided any of our Mailing Lists to a third party and you are receiving communications directly from that third party, we cannot cause that third party to remove you from their records or mailing lists. If you wish to unsubscribe from any such third party’s mailing lists, please follow the unsubscribe procedures which will normally be found within their promotional materials or in their privacy policy.
DO WE ALLOW USERS ACCESS TO THEIR INFORMATION FOR REVIEW AND UPDATING?
You can access the personal information which you have provided to us for the purposes of reviewing and updating such information by writing to the Sponsor at the mailing address set out in the Promotion materials which were mailed to you, providing your name, address and a self-addressed stamped envelope. The Sponsor will mail you a copy of all personal information about you that we hold in our records, and you are free to write back to the Sponsor with any necessary corrections to that information, which the Sponsor will incorporate into its records upon receipt.
WHAT DO WE DO TO KEEP OUR INFORMATION STORAGE SECURE?
We have implemented a number of security procedures throughout our business that are intended to prevent the unauthorized release of or access to the personal information we collect and maintain. For example, our computer database information is firewall protected. Also, only authorized Sponsor (and affiliated company and service bureau) personnel have access to any stored personal information we collect from our customers. As noted, bank account or credit card information you submit to us is always deleted from our records once the payment for which it was provided has been processed and honored by your financial institution.
DO WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM PERSONS RESIDING OUTSIDE OF CANADA?
Yes. We operate in many countries around the world, and our Mailing List includes information about our many customers all over the world. In most cases the Promotion will be directed to persons residing in a limited number of countries.
DO WE COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION FROM CHILDREN?
Our Promotions are not intentionally targeted nor directed to persons under the age of eighteen. We do not intend to collect personally identifiable information from this age group, and persons in that age group are not eligible to participate in our Promotions. If we receive actual notice that a person under the age of eighteen has provided personal information to us, we will use reasonable efforts to remove such information from our files and Mailing List. However, we cannot be responsible for the submission to us of personal information by persons under the age of eighteen who do not advise us of their age, and we accept no liability for our inadvertent collection, use or disclosure of personal information from any person under the age of eighteen.
FURTHER QUESTIONS?
We welcome any questions or comments you may have regarding this privacy policy or the use of your personal information. To contact us, please either contact us by email at info@sweeps-services.com, or write directly to the Sponsor at the mailing address set out in the material that have been mailed to you.