Monitronics Canada, Inc - Privacy Statement
Monitronics Canada, Inc. (“Monitronics Canada”, “we”, “us” or “our”) takes steps intended to meet privacy principles and requirements with respect to personal information under applicable Canadian privacy legislation. The purpose of this statement is to inform our customers and other individuals we deal with (“you” or “your”) how we collect, use, disclose and protect your personal information. Personal information is information about an identifiable individual, as more particularly described under applicable privacy legislation. This statement applies to our collection, use and disclosure of personal information in Canada. This statement does not apply to information about our employees or to information that is not personal information.
Personal Information We Collect
Monitronics Canada and its agents and representatives collect personal information in a number of circumstances in the course of monitoring, setting up and administering security services. Personal information we collect includes:
* name, address, telephone number, and other contact information
* credit card and/or bank account information
* information to determine an individual’s eligibility for requested services including credit information
* billing information
* information contained in correspondence and communications with you concerning your use of our services
* such other information we may collect with your consent or as permitted or required by law.
Use of Personal Information
Monitronics Canada generally uses personal information for the following purposes:
* providing security services to you at the address(es) specified in your Alarm Monitoring Agreement
* providing information to you about changes to the services or equipment available under your Alarm Monitoring Agreement
* managing, administering, collecting or otherwise enforcing accounts
* maintaining business records for reasonable periods, and generally managing and administering our business
* meeting legal, regulatory, insurance, security and processing requirements;
* unless you advise that you would not like to receive it, providing you with promotional materials and information concerning services, products, and/or events offered by Monitronics Canada and its affiliates
* otherwise with your consent or as permitted or required by law
Disclosure of Your Personal Information
Monitronics Canada discloses personal information in the following circumstances:
* to notify the police, fire, paramedic, EMS/ambulance, guard service or other authorities and/or contact persons upon receipt of a signal from your premises indicating that an alarm system has been activated
* to manage, collect or otherwise enforce accounts
* to report credit-related information to credit bureaus, credit reporting agencies and to your current and future creditors
* with your consent
* as required or permitted by law
In addition to the above, personal information may be disclosed to our affiliates (including affiliates outside of Canada) for internal audit, management, billing, administrative and (unless you notify us that you do not consent to such purpose) marketing purposes.
Service Providers. Monitronics Canada may transfer personal information to outside agents or service providers (including affiliates of Monitronics Canada acting in this capacity) that perform services on our behalf, for example, alarm monitoring, mailing and call centre services, billing, marketing and information technology and/or data hosting or processing services or similar services, or otherwise to collect, use, disclose, store or process personal information on our behalf for the purposes described in this Privacy Statement. Some of these service providers or affiliates may be located outside of Canada, including in the United States of America, and your personal information may be collected, used, disclosed, stored and processed in the United States of America or elsewhere outside of Canada for the purposes described in this Privacy Statement. The reasonable contractual or other measures we take to protect your personal information while processed or handled by these service providers are subject to legal requirements in Canada, the United States of America and other foreign countries applicable to us, our affiliates, agents and service providers, and may, for example, require disclosure of personal information to government authorities in those countries.
Business Transactions. Personal information may be used by Monitronics Canada and disclosed to parties connected with any proposed or actual financing, securitization, insuring, sale, assignment or other disposal of all or part of Monitronics Canada or our business or assets, for the purposes of evaluating and/or performing any proposed transaction. These purposes may include, as examples:
o permitting those parties to determine whether to proceed or continue with the transaction
o fulfilling reporting, inspection or audit requirements or obligations to those parties
Assignees or successors of Monitronics Canada or our business or assets may use and disclose your personal information for similar purposes as those described in this Privacy Statement.
Legal, Regulatory, etc. Monitronics Canada may disclose your personal information as necessary to meet legal, regulatory, insurance, audit, and security requirements, and otherwise with your consent or as permitted or required by law (including as required by applicable Canadian and foreign laws applicable to Monitronics Canada or our agents and service providers, and including lawful requirements to disclose personal information to government authorities in those countries).
The Internet
IP Addresses
When your Web browser or email application requests a Web page from another computer on the Internet, it automatically gives that computer the address where the requested information should be sent. This is called your computer's "IP address”. (IP stands for "Internet protocol".) For most users accessing the Internet from a dial-up ISP, the IP address may be different every time you log on.
Information Collection and Use Practices
Monitronics Canada receives your IP address each time you view a Web page from the Site. Your IP address is not linked to your email address or any other personally identifiable information. Your IP address may be used for various purposes, including to diagnose service or technology problems reported by you that are associated with your IP address and to estimate the total number of users visiting the Site from specific locales, countries or regions of the world.
Log Files
When a Web page on the Site is requested, that request (including the date and time) is logged on our servers with information including the IP address of the computer that requested the page.
We use log files for debugging and troubleshooting purposes. IP addresses and access times are not linked to your email address or any other personally identifiable information.
Cookies
If you request certain services from us, Monitronics Canada may then attempt to set cookies on your computer and later access those cookies. You can normally refuse cookies by setting preferences in your browser. You do not need to accept cookies in order to use the Monitronics Canada services.
A cookie is a small amount of data, which often includes a unique identifier that is sent to your browser from a Web site's computers and then stored on your computer's hard drive. A cookie cannot obtain information from your hard drive, destroy files, or transmit viruses.
Each Web site can send its own cookie to your browser, if your browser's preferences allow it. To protect your privacy, your browser normally only permits a Web site to access cookies that it has previously sent to you, but not the cookies sent to you by other sites.
Choices About Cookies
You can normally configure your browser to accept all cookies, reject all cookies, or notify you when a cookie is set. (Each browser is different, so check the "Help" menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences.) If you reject all cookies, you will still be able to use the Monitronics Canada services. Cookies are used only as an option selected by you that allows us to recall your email address from the cookie that we sent to your computer.
Your Consent
Consent to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information may be given in various ways. Consent can be express (for example, orally, electronically or on a form you may sign describing the intended uses and disclosures of personal information) or implied (for example, when you provide information necessary for a service you have requested). You may provide your consent in some circumstances where notice has been provided to you about our intentions with respect to your personal information and you have not withdrawn your consent for an identified purpose, such as by using an “opt out” option provided, if any. Consent may be given by your authorized representative (such as a legal guardian or a person having a power of attorney). Generally, by providing us with personal information, we will assume that you consent to our collection, use and disclosure of such information for the purposes identified or described in this privacy statement, if applicable, or otherwise at the time of collection.
You may withdraw your consent to our collection, use and disclosure of personal information at any time, subject to contractual and legal restrictions and reasonable notice. Note that if you withdraw your consent to certain uses of your personal information, we may no longer be able to provide certain of our products or services. Note also that where we have provided or are providing services to you, your consent will be valid for so long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Statement or otherwise at the time of collection, and you may not be permitted to withdraw consent to certain necessary uses and disclosures (for example, but not limited to, maintaining reasonable business and transaction records, disclosures to Canadian and foreign government entities as required to comply with laws, and reporting on credit information after credit has been granted, if applicable).
Monitronics Canada collects, uses and discloses your personal information with your consent, except as permitted or required by law. We may be required or permitted under statute or regulation to collect, use or disclose personal information without your consent, for example to comply with a court order, to comply with local or federal regulations or a legally permitted inquiry by a government agency, or to collect a debt owed to us.
Security
We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information using physical, electronic or procedural security measures appropriate to the sensitivity of the information in our custody or control, which may include safeguards to protect against loss or theft, as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use or modification. Authorized employees, agents and mandatories of Monitronics Canada who require access to your personal information in order to fulfill their job requirements will have access to your personal information.
Access, Correction and Contacting Us
Monitronics Canada may establish and maintain a file of your personal information for the purposes described above, which will be accessible at Monitronics Headquarters PO Box 814530, Dallas, TX 75381-4530. If you wish to request access or correction of your personal information in our custody or control, you may write to the above address, attention Privacy Officer. Your right to access or correct your personal information is subject to applicable legal restrictions. We may take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections. If you wish to make inquiries or complaints or have other concerns about our personal information practices, you may write to us as described above, e-mail us at webmaster@monitronics.com or telephone us at 1-800-615-3844.
Privacy Statement Changes
This Privacy Statement may be revised from time to time. If we intend to use or disclose Personal Information for purposes materially different than those described in this Privacy Statement, we will make reasonable efforts to notify affected individuals, if necessary, including by revising this Privacy Statement. If you are concerned about how your personal information is used, you should contact us as described above or check our website periodically at www.monitronics.net to obtain a current copy of this statement. We urge you to request and review this Privacy Statement frequently to obtain the current version. Your continued provision of Personal Information or use of our services following any changes to this Privacy Statement constitutes your acceptance of any such changes. This Privacy Statement is effective as of May 1, 2009.