Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

OUR COMMITMENT TO PRIVACY

MVP and its subsidiaries (each, an "MVP Company") are committed to controlling the collection, use and disclosure of the personal information provided by its customers. This Privacy Statement is a simplified version of the MVP Privacy Policy adopted by each of the MVP Companies to ensure the accuracy, confidentiality and integrity of your personal information. The MVP Privacy Policy is modeled after the Canadian Standards Association Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information and is compliant with federal and provincial privacy laws including the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. A summary of the ten principles of fair information practices adopted in the MVP Privacy Policy is included at the end of this Privacy Statement. A complete copy of the MVP Privacy Policy is available on request by contacting your local Privacy Compliance Officer or on the MVP website at www.myvirtualpartner.net.

A SINGLE POLICY

Any time you do business with a MVP Company, or with anyone acting as an agent on our behalf, you are protected by the rights and safeguards contained in the MVP Privacy Policy.

WHAT IS PERSONAL INFORMATION?

"Personal information" is personally identifiable information such as your name, residential address and e-mail address and includes information about your product and service subscriptions and usage, credit information and billing records, service and recorded complaints. Personal information is collected by the MVP Companies only when you specifically and knowingly choose to provide it us such as when you register for an MVP event, subscribe to a MVP publication, enter a MVP promotion or choose to receive information, products or services from an MVP Company. We may also receive personal information from our business partners and other third parties provided that such third parties confirm to us that they have obtained your consent to the disclosure of your personal information. Publicly available information, such as a public directory listing of your name, address, telephone number and electronic address, is not considered personal information.

COLLECTION AND USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

The MVP Companies collect and use your personal information primarily for the purpose of providing you with the products and services you have requested from us, including the delivery of content through the MVP online properties. Your personal information is used to communicate with you about your account and to provide you with information related to other MVP services. If you indicated that you were interested in receiving offers or information from selected MVP sponsors or advertisers, your personal information would also be used to contact you or to send you e-mail materials and other mailings about products and services that might be of interest to you. You always have the option, however, to tell us not to share your personal information with other MVP Companies or to exclude you from offers for other products or services. If you enter a contest or other promotion offered by a MVP Company or on a MVP website, your personal information will be used to administer the promotion, including the use of your name and selected other information for the purposes of contacting, announcing and promoting the winners of the promotion. The MVP Companies may also contact you from time to time to conduct market research and surveys in an effort to continually improve our content, research, products and service offerings. Unless you specifically authorize us to release your personal information, or release is required or permitted by law, the MVP Companies will not sell, lease or trade your personal information to other third parties. Anonymous or "non-personal" information gathered by the MVP Companies through our websites may be used for technical, research and analytical purposes. Information collected through surveys, existing files and public archives may be used by the MVP Companies to analyze their markets, produce research reports and to develop or enhance service offerings. MVP Companies will only ask for information about you that we need and will only ask for it when we need it. When we ask you for the information, we will explain to you why we need it and what we are going to do with it. We will seek your prior consent to the collection, use and disclosure of the information as required by applicable privacy legislation. Subject to legal and contractual requirements, you can refuse to consent to our collection, use or disclosure of information about you. You may also withdraw your consent to any further collection, use or disclosure of information about you at any time by giving us reasonable notice. If our intended disclosures or uses of information change, we will notify you accordingly. Your personal information will not be used for any other purpose without your consent.

DISCLOSURE

To enable us to more efficiently provide the products and services you have requested from us, the MVP Companies may share your personal information with other MVP Companies and with selected third parties who are acting on our behalf as our agents, suppliers or service providers. Such third party service providers are provided only with such information as is necessary in the circumstances (i.e. your e-mail address may be disclosed to our partners for the purpose of delivering a report or white paper you have expressed interest in receiving or a webcast you have indicated an interest in attending). Information provided to third parties may be used only for the purpose stipulated and is subject to strict terms of confidentiality.

USE OF COOKIES

The MVP Companies use a browser feature called a "cookie" to collect information anonymously and track user patterns on MVP websites. A cookie is a small text file that is placed on your hard disk by a website. "Cookies" contain a unique identification number that identifies your browser, but not you, to our computers each time you visit one of our websites. Cookies tell us which pages of our websites are visited and by how many people. Cookies may be placed, and anonymous user traffic data collected, by a MVP Company or a third party who provides services to a MVP Company. The use of cookies is an industry standard and many major browsers are initially set up to accept them. You can reset your browser to either refuse to accept all cookies or to notify you when you have received a cookie. However, if you refuse to accept cookies, you may not be able to use some of the features available on our websites.

ACCURACY

MVP Companies will try to ensure that information about you is accurate, complete and up-to-date. However, please inform the MVP Company to whom you provided your information of any change of name, address or other information. In the event you have questions about the accuracy of factual information we have collected about you, you will have access to that information in order to verify and update it. If we have disclosed inaccurate information about you to a third party, we will be pleased to contact the third party in order to correct the information.

SECURITY

The MVP Companies are committed to protecting your privacy. Security measures, such as locked cabinets, restricted access and the use of passwords and firewalls have been adopted to protect your personal information against loss or theft, as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use or modification. Our employees have been trained to respect your privacy at all times and those employees with access to your personal information shall use your personal information strictly in accordance with the MVP Privacy Policy and the laws applicable to each specific business.

ACCESS

If you have any questions about the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information by a MVP Company, or if you simply want to know whether we have any of your personal information on file, you may ask us for that information. Except in limited circumstances, as specifically provided by applicable privacy legislation, the MVP Companies can tell you whether they hold personal information about you. They can tell you the source of the information, allow you access to your personal information and find an account of the use that has been made or is being made of the information and the third parties to which it has been disclosed. The MVP Companies will only refuse access to information about you in those circumstances permitted or required by applicable privacy legislation. If an MVP Company refuses access to you, it will provide you with the reasons for its refusal upon request. Exceptions may include information that contains references to other individuals, information that cannot be disclosed for legal, security or commercial proprietary reasons, and information that is subject to solicitor-client or litigation privilege. The MVP Companies will respond to your requests for access in accordance with applicable privacy legislation.

QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS

If you have any questions or concerns about the personal information about you held by a MVP Company or about the compliance by a MVP Company with the MVP Privacy Policy, please contact us. Each MVP Company has procedures in place to receive and respond to complaints or inquiries about its handling of personal information. They will describe the complaint procedures to anyone who makes inquiries or lodges complaints. If you are not satisfied with the response after making a complaint, you may have recourse to additional remedies under applicable privacy legislation.