Scope
This privacy policy applies to all personal data processed by full-time, part-time, and casual employees when acting on behalf of MetroCount, contractors, and partners doing business on behalf of MetroCount, as well as all legal entities, all operating locations in all countries, and all business processes conducted by MetroCount.
What information do we collect?
MetroCount collects the following personal information in line with the usage purposes explained in a subsequent section:
- Your name, preferred salutation and contact details
- Your location information (usually your business address). MetroCount rarely, if ever, collects your home address unless this is also your business address.
- Communication information including MetroCount Support communications
- Purchasing and payment information
- Registration and participation in MetroCount events and activities
- Subscription preferences
- Information about the device(s) you use
- Information about service usage
- Cookies
- Authentication data
- Other information you upload or provide to us
How do we collect your information?
In general terms, MetroCount collects or has collected your personal information from you via direct, personal contact. You have supplied your information to us in the course of routine, lawful dialogue with MetroCount, typically via telephone, during visits to your business premises, or at conferences or trade exhibitions.
MetroCount has never, and will never, purchase or otherwise obtain your information without your direct, personal consent.
How do we use your information?
MetroCount uses (and, where specified, shares) your personal information for the following purposes:
To process transactions. MetroCount uses personal information such as name, physical address, telephone number, email address, and company, organisation or institution to engage in interactions with you, including contacting you about your order, subscriptions or event participation. We use financial/credit card and payment information to process your order and may need to share some of this information with delivery services, credit card clearing houses, and other third parties to complete the transaction.
To provide support or other services. MetroCount may use your personal information to provide you with support or other services that you have ordered or requested. MetroCount may also use your personal information to respond directly to your requests for information, including registrations for newsletters, webinars, or other specific requests, or pass your contact information to the appropriate MetroCount distributor or reseller for further follow-up related to your interests.
To provide information based on your needs and respond to your requests. MetroCount may use your personal information to provide you with notices of new product releases and service developments.
To provide access to online forums and social networks. Some services available on MetroCount websites permit you to participate in interactive discussions, post comments, opportunities, or other content to a bulletin board or exchange, or otherwise engage in networking activities. Some of these services are moderated; all may be accessed for technical reasons (for example, for improvements or fixes). MetroCount does not control the content that users post to these forums or social networks. You should carefully consider whether you wish to submit personal information to these forums or social networks and tailor any content you submit appropriately and in accordance with the relevant terms of use. You should also review any additional terms and conditions that may govern your use of these services, including terms related to sharing your personal information and receiving communications.
To administer products, subscriptions or services. MetroCount may contact you if you purchase products, subscriptions or services to confirm certain information about your order (for example, that you did not experience problems in the download process or to confirm delivery). We may also use this information to confirm compliance with licensing and other terms of use and may share it with your company/organisation/institution.
To select content, improve quality, and facilitate the use of the websites. MetroCount may use your personal information, including the information gathered as a result of site navigation and electronic protocols and cookies (including third-party cookies), to help create and personalise website content, improve website quality, track marketing campaign responsiveness, evaluate page response rates, conduct usability testing, and facilitate your use of the websites (for example, to facilitate navigation and the login process, avoid duplicate data entry, enhance security, keep track of shopping cart additions, and preserve order information between sessions).
To serve personalised advertising to you. We don’t share your information with advertisers without your consent. We allow advertisers to choose the characteristics of users who will see their advertisements, and we may use any of the non-personally-identifiable attributes we have collected to select the appropriate audience for those advertisements. When you click on or otherwise interact with an advertisement, there is a possibility that the advertiser may place a cookie in your browser and that your attributes meet the criteria the advertiser selected. These cookies do not in anyway identify you or give access to your computer. Any data collected will be used in accordance with our own privacy policy and Google’s privacy policy. If you do not wish to participate in our Google AdWords Remarketing, you should opt out by visiting Google’s Ads Settings and configuring your preferences there. You can also opt out of a third-party vendor’s use of cookies by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page.
To assess usage of MetroCount products and services. MetroCount may track your usage of MetroCount products and services to determine your level of usage, and those usage statistics may be made available to MetroCount’s content licensors and your company/organisation/institution.
To communicate with you about a meeting, conference, or event. We may communicate with you about a meeting, conference or event hosted or co-sponsored by MetroCount or one of our business associates. This may include information about the event’s content, event logistics, payment, updates, and additional information related to the event. The information you provide when registering for or participating in a conference managed or co-sponsored by parties, other than or in addition to MetroCount may be shared with those parties, and the treatment of such information is further subject to the privacy policies of those parties. MetroCount and conference sponsors may contact you after the event about the event, subsequent iterations of the event and related events. Please note that conference, meeting or event organisers, sponsors, exhibitors, and other third parties may directly request your personal information at their conference booths or presentations. Providing your information to them is optional, and you should review their privacy policies to address your particular needs and concerns about how they will treat your personal information.
To assist in your participation in MetroCount activities. MetroCount will communicate with you if you are participating in certain MetroCount activities such as MetroCount conferences, authoring or reviewing a MetroCount periodical article, or MetroCount humanitarian activities. MetroCount may send you information such as newsletters related to those activities.
To update you on relevant MetroCount benefits, programs, and opportunities. MetroCount may communicate with you regarding relevant MetroCount benefits, programs, and opportunities available to you.
To engage with third parties. MetroCount may share your personal data with third parties in connection with services that these individuals or entities perform for or with MetroCount. These third parties are restricted from using this data in any way other than to provide services for MetroCount or for the collaboration in which they and MetroCount are contractually engaged (for example, arranging installation of MetroCount products). These third parties are carefully selected by MetroCount and obligated to keep your data secure. From time to time, we may also share your information with third parties whom we think might provide products or services of interest to you.
To protect MetroCount content and services. We may use your information to prevent potentially illegal activities and to enforce our terms and conditions. We also use a variety of technological systems to detect and address anomalous activity and to screen content to prevent abuse, such as spam. These efforts may, on occasion, result in a temporary or permanent suspension or termination of some functions for some users.
To get feedback or input from you. In order to deliver products and services of most interest to our customers, from time to time, we may ask customers and website visitors to provide to us input and feedback (for example through surveys).
To protect MetroCount information assets as well as your own personal data. MetroCount security protocols protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of MetroCount information assets by following a risk management approach based on policies, standards, guidelines, and procedures to meet security objectives while supporting business and operational goals.
How can you control your information?
You can control the information we have about you and how we use it in several ways.
- You can request that we delete your information.
- Use the unsubscribe options provided in our various communications.
Once deleted or unsubscribed, your information will only be reinstated if you request it.
Personal data about minors and children MetroCount does not knowingly collect data from or about children under 16 without the permission of parent(s)/guardian(s). If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 16, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. If you believe that we might have any information from or about a child under age 16, please contact us.
How will you know if the Privacy Policy is changed?
MetroCount may update its Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make any material changes we will notify you by email or by means of a notice on this website prior to the change becoming effective. We encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information on our privacy practices.
Technical and regulatory information
Logging practices
MetroCount automatically records the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of visitors. The IP address is a unique number assigned to every computer on the internet. Generally, an IP address changes each time you connect to the internet (it is a “dynamic” address). Note, however, that if you have a broadband connection, depending on your individual circumstances, the IP address that we collect may contain information that could be deemed identifiable. This is because, with some broadband connections, your IP address doesn’t change (it is “static”) and could be associated with your personal computer.
As well as recording the IP addresses of users, MetroCount may also keep track of sites that users visited immediately prior to visiting MetroCount’s website and the search terms they used to find it. We keep track of the pages visited on MetroCount’s website, the amount of time spent on those pages and the types of searches done on them. Your searches remain confidential and anonymous. MetroCount uses this information only for statistical purposes to find out which pages users find most useful and to improve the website.
MetroCount also captures and stores information that you transmit. This may include:
- Browser/Device type/version
- Operating system used
- Media Access Control (MAC) address
- Date and time of the server request
- Volume of data transferred
External links behaviour
Some of MetroCount’s websites link to other sites created and maintained by other public- and/or private-sector organisations. MetroCount provides these links solely for your information and convenience. When you transfer to an outside website, you are leaving the MetroCount domain, and MetroCount’s information management policies no longer apply. MetroCount encourages you to read the privacy statement of each external website that you visit before you provide any personal data.
Cookies and web beacons
Cookies and web beacons are electronic placeholders that are placed on your device by websites to track your individual movements on that website over time. MetroCount uses both session-based cookies (which last only for the duration of the user’s session) and persistent cookies (which remain on your device and provides information about the session you are in and waits for the next time you use that site again).
These cookies and web beacons provide useful information to MetroCount, enabling us to recognise repeat users, facilitate the user’s access to and use of our sites, allows us to track usage behaviour, and to balance the usage of our websites on all MetroCount web servers.
Tracking cookies, third-party cookies, and other technologies such as web beacons may be used to process additional information, enable non-core functionalities on the MetroCount website and enable third-party functions (such as a social media “share” link). We may also include web beacons and other similar technology in promotional email messages to determine whether the messages have been opened.
Collaboration with authorities
MetroCount has appointed and mandated a privacy officer who represents the regulatory authorities inside the MetroCount organisation, and in return represents the MetroCount organisation to regulatory authorities.
The MetroCount privacy officer will ensure proper communication with the relevant regulatory authority for privacy. The privacy officer will lead investigative action, complaint handling and data breach notification. The privacy officer will also monitor regulatory changes and consult the regulatory authority where implementation of a regulatory or technological change leads to doubt.
Transfer of information to other countries
As a global organisation, MetroCount engages in a number of international activities. In connection with the management of those activities, MetroCount may transfer information to other countries. By submitting your information to MetroCount via the websites, or in connection with your interactions with MetroCount offline, you consent to such transfers and to the processing of this information in other countries.
Responses to legal requests
MetroCount reserves the right to share your information to respond to duly authorised information requests of governmental authorities or where required by law.
In the event of bankruptcy, merger, acquisition, reorganisation or sale of assets, your information may be sold or transferred as part of that transaction. The promises in this privacy policy will apply to your information as transferred to the new entity.
Your European Union privacy rights
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation EU 2016/679) (also known as GDPR), if you are an individual protected by the GDPR you may have certain rights as a data subject. To request information about or avail yourself of those rights, please send an email to @email with “GDPR Request” in the subject line. In the email please describe, with specificity, the GDPR right you are requesting assistance with. Please note additional information may be requested prior to initiation of a request and that MetroCount reserves the right to charge a fee with respect to certain requests. Upon MetroCount’s completion of its review, you will be notified if your request has been granted, denied, or exemptions apply.
How do I contact you if there is an issue?
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or about the use of your personal information, please feel free to contact us by email at @email.