The purpose of this Online Privacy Statement is to inform you about the types of information we gather online about you when you visit HCESC.org (“our Site”), how we may use that information, whether we disclose it to anyone, and the choices you have regarding our use of, and your ability to correct, that information.
This Online Privacy Statement may change from time to time, so please check back periodically.
This Statement will explain the following regarding the treatment of data collected on our Site:
1. Sites covered by this Statement
2. What information we collect
3. Why we collect your information
4. How we use your information
5. Sharing your information
6. Your choices
7. Accessing and changing your information
8. Use of cookies on this site
9. Use of third-party media and research companies
10. Use of Web beacons on this site
11. Protecting your information
12. Links to other Web sites
13. Children’s privacy
14. Changes to this statement
15. Contact us
This Online Privacy Statement covers the collection and use of data on HCESC.org.
The information we collect on our Site generally falls into the following two categories: Personally Identifiable Information and Non-Personally Identifiable Information.
Personally Identifiable Information: This refers to information that lets us know the specifics of who you are. The Personally Identifiable Information we collect when you use our Site may include your name, mailing address, phone number, e-mail address, employer, and job title. We request Personally Identifiable Information when you order a product or service, participate in certain promotional activities, fill out surveys, and correspond with us. We also collect Personally Identifiable Information when you ask that we send products or information directly to other people; in these cases, we will collect the information you submit about the recipient. It will be clear when you are on a part of our Site that requires personal information, because we will ask you for it and you will have a choice about how we use that information.
Non-Personally Identifiable Information: This refers to information that does not by itself identify a specific individual. The non-personally identifiable data we collect when you visit our Site may include the Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”)(1) of the Web site that you came from before visiting our Site, which pages you visit on our Site, which URL you next go to, which browser you used to come to our Site, your Internet Protocol (“IP”)(2) address, and any search terms entered on our Site. This Statement also contains more information about how we use cookies and other technology to collect this data.
We do not connect the Personally Identifiable Information and Non-Personally Identifiable Information we collect on our Site.
Our primary goals in collecting information are to provide customers with superior service and to provide all visitors a smooth, efficient, and personalized experience while using our Site. For example, if you purchase products or request information on our Site, we use your Personally Identifiable Information to fill your order or provide the requested information. We use Non-Personally Identifiable Information on an aggregated basis to analyze customer behavior to help us understand how visitors use our Site and to measure interest in the various pages. We use this information to improve the content of our Site, to make our Site easier to use, and to customize our advertising.
We gather and use information in a number of ways, including the following:
Surfing: We collect certain Non-Personally Identifiable Information when you visit our Site or click on banner ads for services. We collect this information to help run our Site more efficiently, to gather broad demographic information, to monitor the level of activity on our Site, and to evaluate the effectiveness of our services. Learn more about how we use cookies and other technology to collect this information.
Ordering: We collect Personally Identifiable Information when you purchase products and services. We collect this information to deliver your order, to obtain payment, and to communicate with you about the status of your order.
Technical support: We may collect certain information when you request technical support. This information is necessary to identify your systems, understand the configuration of the products, diagnose your questions, and provide solutions.
Online surveys and polling: We collect Personally Identifiable Information from customers who volunteer to complete surveys or participate in polls. We use this information to improve our products and services.
Promotional activities: We collect Personally Identifiable Information from you when you enter a promotional program or activity. We use this information to administer the program or activity, to send you promotional e-mails, notify winners, and make the winners’ list publicly available pursuant to certain states’ laws.
Newsletters and promotional e-mails: We collect Personally Identifiable Information when you ask to receive newsletters, promotional e-mails, and other information. We use this information to provide you the information you request.
Contact information: If you contact us, we may keep a record of your correspondence or comments, including Personally Identifiable Information, in a file specific to you. We use this information to help us provide better service in the event you contact us again.
We do not sell, trade, or rent to others the Personally Identifiable Information we collect online. Unless we have your permission, we will share the Personally Identifiable Information you provide online only with other public school entities and/or businesses that provide services to HCESC and only for the purposes described above. Where HCESC engages third parties to perform services on our behalf, we will require them to observe the intent of this Online Privacy Statement.
On some pages we offer you the opportunity to receive information from companies with products or services that may be of interest to you. If you choose to receive such information, HCESC may assist these companies in their marketing activities by forwarding their messages to you, but we will not provide these companies with any of your Personally Identifiable Information.
From time to time, we may be required to provide Personally Identifiable Information in response to a court order, subpoena, or government investigation. We also reserve the right to report to law enforcement agencies any activities that we in good faith believe to be unlawful. We may release certain Personally Identifiable Information when we believe that such release is reasonably necessary to enforce or apply our Terms and Conditions or to protect the rights, property, and safety of others and ourselves.
HCESC will not use or share the Personally Identifiable Information collected on our Site in ways unrelated to the purpose for which you provided the information, including those described above, without providing you a choice whether to permit any such unrelated uses. At the time you provide your information, we will offer you a choice as to whether you want to receive further communications about special offers, product information or other marketing messages. If you choose not to receive these communications, we will not use the information you provide for this purpose. If you change your mind and wish not to receive further marketing communications from HCESC, let us know by submitting your “opt-out” choice at https://www.hcesc.org and we will do all we can to honor your request.
HCESC seeks to ensure that your information and preferences are accurate and complete. If you have registered or created personal profiles online, you may access and change your information by visiting the site where it was submitted. If you change your mind and wish not to receive further marketing communications from HCESC, let us know by submitting your “opt-out” choice at https://www.hcesc.org and we will do all we can to honor your request. All e-mail communications from us, such as newsletters, tell you how to stop receiving them. Please follow these instructions if you no longer wish to receive the e-mail messages.
A “cookie” is a small data file transferred by a Web site to your computer’s hard drive. We send cookies when you surf our Site, make purchases, respond to online surveys or polls, or request information. Accepting the cookies used on our Site does not give us access to your Personally Identifiable Information, but we can use the cookies to identify your computer. The aggregate information collected permits us to analyze traffic patterns on our Site. This can enable us over time to provide you with a better experience on our Site by improving the content and making it easier to use. For example, cookies can keep track of your interests and allow you to enter your password only once on pages where a logon is required.
Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually refuse cookies, or selectively accept certain cookies, by adjusting the preferences in your browser. If you turn off cookies, though, there may be some features of our Site that will not be available to you and some Web pages may not display properly.
HCESC does not run third-party ads on our Site. HCESC may use third-party media and research companies to place ads for us on other parties’ Web sites. When users view Web pages where HCESC ads appear, our online media and research companies may place cookies on the user’s computer. These cookies allow the companies to recognize the computer when it is used to return to that site. In this way, our online media and research companies may compile information about ads viewed and the general content of the pages where the ads appear. Over time, this information permits these companies to deliver ads that they believe will be of most interest to the user and to minimize the repetition of ads you see. The cookies placed by these companies do not access or collect any Personally Identifiable Information or enable individual users to be identified. The data is collected exclusively for use in HCESC’s marketing and research. HCESC does not have access to the cookies that may be placed by the online media and research companies. If you want to prevent these companies from sending and reading cookies on your computer, you will need to visit each company’s Web site and request that you be removed from its system.
Some pages on our Site contain electronic images known as Web beacons, or single-pixel GIFs, placed by our third-party media and research companies. Web beacons, which use cookie technology, permit these companies to compile aggregated statistics for HCESC about how visitors use our Site and to gauge the effectiveness of our ads. No Personally Identifiable Information is collected or shared through the Web beacons used on our Site, and the information collected does not permit us to identify users of our Site. The data is collected exclusively for use in HCESC’s marketing and research. If you would like to prevent our online media and research companies from collecting this information, you will need to visit each company’s Web site and request that you be removed from its system.
HCESC acknowledges your trust and is committed to protecting the information you provide us. To prevent unauthorized access, maintain accuracy, and ensure proper use of information, we have employed physical, electronic, and managerial processes to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.
When you make a purchase from our Site, we use Secure Sockets Layer (“SSL”) encryption technology to safeguard your credit card and other sensitive information while it is being sent to us. The SSL encryption is designed to make the information unreadable by anyone but us. This security measure is working when you see either the symbol of an unbroken key or closed lock (depending on your browser) on the bottom of your browser window.
If you would prefer to order by phone, call us at 513.674.4200.
Parts of our Site contain links to third-party Web sites for your convenience and information. If you use these links, you will leave the HCESC’s Web site. When you access a non-HCESC Web site, even one that may contain the HCESC logo, please understand that we do not control the content and are not responsible for the privacy practices of that site. We suggest that you carefully review the privacy policies of each site you visit. This Online Privacy Statement does not cover the information practices of those Web sites linked to our Site. These other sites may send their own cookies to users, collect data, or solicit personal information.
HCESC believes that protecting children’s privacy online is extremely important, and we encourage parents and guardians to take an active role in their children’s use of the Internet and to spend time online with their children. HCESC respects national and international laws, including the Children’s On-line Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”), which applies in the United States. Accordingly, at our Site we do not collect personal information from children under 13 without parental consent. In the event we develop areas of our Site directed at children under age 13, we will implement a special children’s privacy statement that complies with the requirements of COPPA and other relevant laws.
If there are changes or additions to the terms of this Online Privacy Statement, we will post those changes here so that you will always know what information we collect online, how we use it, and what choices you have. Please be sure to check this page before proceeding to use our Site. Regardless of any changes we make to our Online Privacy Statement, we will always use your Personally Identifiable Information in accordance with the version of the Statement in place at the time you provided your information, unless you give your express consent for us to do otherwise.
If you have any questions or concerns about HCESC’s use of your information or about this Online Privacy Statement, please send an e-mail to webmaster.
Notes:
1 A URL is the global address of documents and other resources on the World Wide Web. For example, https://www.hcesc.org is the URL for HCESC’s U.S. home page.
2 An IP address is an identifier for a computer or device on a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (“TCP/IP”) network, such as the World Wide Web. Networks use the TCP/IP protocol to route information based on the IP address of the destination. In other words, an IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are surfing the Web, allowing Web servers to locate and identify your computer. Computers require IP addresses in order for users to communicate on the Internet, browse and shop.