PRIVACY POLICY
Your privacy and the security of your personal information are very important to us. We want you to be as comfortable as possible visiting our Website. We are dedicated to protecting the privacy of those who visit our Website. We will not sell, share, license, trade, or rent your personal information to others outside Weight Loss Medical Center and our affiliates who are directly involved with providing you related services.
We may amend this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post any changes to this Privacy Policy here so that you will always know what information we gather, how we might use that information, and whether we will disclose that information to anyone. Please refer back to this Privacy Policy on a regular basis. By using our Website or any of our servicess, offerings, features, tools or resources that we provide on our Website, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.
Please remember that this Privacy Policy applies only to information collected by our Website. We are not responsible for the privacy of any information you reveal or post in any public forum (e.g., message board, blog, personal page, etc.).
WHAT INFORMATION ABOUT YOU IS COLLECTED ON OUR WEBSITE?
We collect two types of information: personally identifiable information and non-personally identifiable information.
Personally Identifiable Information
Personally identifiable information is information that identifies you or can be used to identify or contact you ("Personally Identifiable Information"). Such Personally Identifiable Information may include your name, address, email address, telephone number, birth date (primarily for eligibility purposes) and billing and payment information. We may request Personally Identifiable Information from you when you register on our Website. In all of these cases, we will collect Personally Identifiable Information from you only if you voluntarily submit such information to us. Unless you give us permission to do so, we will not sell, share, license, trade or rent your Personally Identifiable Information other than as specified in this Privacy Policy.
You do not have to provide us with any Personally Identifiable Information to visit our Website. However, if you choose to withhold requested information, you may not be able to visit all sections of our Website, such as subscribing to our online weight-loss tools or posting content to any Community Area on our Website. A "Community Area" means any blog, personal page, group page, chat room, message board, bulletin board, recipe swap, or similar activity.
Non-Personally Identifiable Information.
When you become a registered user of our Website, we also may collect information that by itself cannot be used to identify or contact you, such as demographic information (like age, profession or gender) and health information (like current weight) ("Non-Personally Identifiable Information"). Non-Personally Identifiable Information may also include user IP addresses, browser types, domain names, and other anonymous statistical data involving the use of our Website. Non-Personally Identifiable Information is used to help us understand who uses our Website and to improve and market our Website in general and our services in particular.
Information from Other Sources.
We may also supplement the information we collect with information from other sources to assist us in evaluating and improving our Website to determine your preferences so that we can tailor our Website and services to your needs, and/or to study nutritional, weight-loss, behavioral and fitness questions in general.
WHERE AND WHEN IS INFORMATION COLLECTED ON OUR WEBSITE (INCLUDING THROUGH THE USE OF COOKIES AND ACTION TAGS)?
We may collect information (including information that is Personally Identifiable Information) from you in different manners and at different places and times on our Website, such as when you register for our Website. The following is a description of the areas and/or manners in which we primarily collect information about you.
Cookies and Action Tags.
We also collect Non-Personally Identifiable Information passively using "cookies" and "action tags."
"Cookies" are small text files that are placed on your computer in order to identify (i) your Web browser, (ii) the activities of your computer on our Website and (iii) your activity in connection with our advertisements and other marketing and promotional efforts. Cookies may be used to:
- personalize your experience on our Website (e.g., to dynamically generate content on webpages specifically designed for you),
- assist you in using our services (e.g., to save you time by not having to reenter your name upon each visit to our Website), and
- allow us to statistically monitor how you are using our Website for purposes of improving our online offerings.
We also may use cookies to conduct marketing and promotional efforts, tailor certain advertisements to your browser that we think may be of interest to you, or to determine the popularity of certain content. We may link the information stored in cookies to Personally Identifiable Information you provide us, and to personalize your Website experience we may store Personally Identifiable Information you provide us in an encrypted form in temporary or "session" cookies, which are erased when you close your browser.
You do not have to accept cookies to use our Website, however, you may not be able to use certain services, offerings, features, or resources of our Website if you do not accept cookies. Although most browsers are initially set to accept cookies, you may reset your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie or to reject cookies generally. Most browsers offer instructions on how to do so in the "Help" section of the toolbar.
"Action tags," also known as web beacons or GIF tags, are a web technology used to help track anonymous website usage information, such as how many times a specific page has been viewed. Action tags are invisible to you, and any portion of our Website, including advertisements, or e-mail sent on our behalf, may contain action tags. Unlike cookies, action tags are not placed on your computer.
By using cookies and action tags together, we are able to gain valuable information to improve our Website and services and measure the effectiveness of our advertising and marketing campaigns. We do not disclose any of your Personally Identifiable Information to our advertising partners through the use of cookies or action tags.
Finally, please note that advertisers and other third parties may also use their own cookies or action tags when you click on their advertisement or link to their website or service, on or from our Website. This Privacy Policy does not govern the use by such third-party websites or providers of third-party advertising.
Public Forums and the Public Profile Feature.
We feature public forums where you and other users of our Website can communicate with one another. In addition, we offer both the "Public Profile" and "My Page" features of our Website to permit you to share information about yourself (including, if you elect, Personally Identifiable Information) with others. THIS PRIVACY POLICY DOES NOT PROTECT YOU WHEN YOU USE OUR PUBLIC FORUMS OR PROVIDE INFORMATION (INCLUDING PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION) ABOUT YOURSELF THROUGH THE PUBLIC PROFILE FEATURE OR THROUGH ANY COMMUNITY AREA AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE. You should be aware that any information shared in a public forum such as a message board, blog, personal page, posting, group, bulletin board or recipe swap or through our Public Profile feature is public information and may be seen or collected by third parties that do not adhere to our Privacy Policy, although the availability of personal pages or groups identified as "private" may be limited to certain permitted users. However, even information marked "private" may be viewed by our staff. You should think carefully before disclosing any information in any public forum, or through the Public Profile feature, on our Website. For example, you should not select a username that includes personal information.
Log Files.
We also collect Non-Personally Identifiable Information through our Internet log files, which record data such as user IP addresses, browser types, domain names, and other anonymous statistical data involving the use of our Website. This information may be used to analyze trends, to administer the Website, to monitor our Website’s use, and to gather general demographic information. We may link this information to Personally Identifiable Information for these and other purposes such as personalizing your experience on our Website and evaluating our online services in general.
DO WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM CHILDREN UNDER 13 YEARS OF AGE?
We are committed to protecting the privacy of children. Our Website is not designed for or directed to children under the age of 13. We do not collect Personally Identifiable Information from any person we actually know is under the age of 13. We urge all parents or guardians to participate in their children’s exploration of the Internet, and to teach their children about protecting their personal information while online.
WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE INFORMATION WE COLLECT?
In general, we use the information collected on our Website to help us understand who uses our Website, to personalize your experience, to improve our Website, and for subscription billing purposes, if applicable. If you become a registered user of our Website, we may use your information to send you a welcoming email that may confirm your username. If you "opt-in" (for example, if you check a box, or if the box is pre-checked, you do not opt out by unchecking the box) we may send you electronic newsletters, information about our services, information and news that may be of interest to you, and provide you with targeted feedback. If you no longer desire to receive these communications, we will provide you with an option to change your preferences. In addition, if you identify yourself to us by sending us an email with questions or comments, we may use your information (including Personally Identifiable Information) to respond to your questions or comments, and we may file your questions or comments for future reference. We may also use the information collected to contact you about important service announcements and updates regarding our Website or services. You will not be able to opt-out of these service announcements and updates as they contain important information relevant to your use of our Website and/or services and are not promotional in nature. (If you do not wish to receive these service announcements, you may cancel your account with us and delete the Personally Identifiable Information maintained about you on our systems by contacting our Privacy Coordinator at the address set out below.)
We may also use the information gathered on our Website perform statistical analysis of user behavior, to analyze and evaluate issues relating to nutrition, weight-loss, behavior and fitness, or to evaluate and improve our services. We may link some of this information to Personally Identifiable Information for internal purposes only or to assist you in your personal efforts to improve your health.
WHEN DO WE DISCLOSE INFORMATION TO THIRD PARTIES?
Except as set forth in this Privacy Policy or as specifically agreed to by you, we will not disclose any information we gather from you on our Website.
Affiliates
We may disclose information (including Personally Identifiable Information) about you to our Affiliates. For purposes of this Privacy Policy, "Affiliate" means any person or entity which directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by or is under common control with Weight Loss Medical Center, whether by ownership or otherwise. Any information relating to you that we provide to our Affiliates will be treated by those Affiliates in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy.
Laws and Legal Rights.
We may also disclose your information (including Personally Identifiable Information) if we believe in good faith that we are required to do so in order to comply with an applicable statute, regulation, rule or law, a subpoena, a search warrant, a court or regulatory order, or other valid legal process. We may disclose Personally Identifiable Information in special circumstances when we have reason to believe that disclosing this information is necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action against someone to protect the safety and/or security of our users, our Website or the general public.
Third Parties Generally.
We may provide to third parties information about you that does not allow you to be identified or contacted, including where such information is combined with similar information of other users of our Website. For example, we might inform third parties regarding the number of unique users who visit our Website, the demographic breakdown of the registered users of our Website, or the activities that visitors to our Website engage in while on our Website. The third parties to which we may provide this information may include potential or actual advertisers, providers of advertising services (including website tracking services), commercial partners, sponsors, licensees, researchers and other similar parties.
Outside Contractors.
We may employ independent contractors, vendors and suppliers (collectively, "Outside Contractors") to provide specific services related to our Website or services, such as providing payment processing and fraud screening, and developing applications for our Website and e-mail services. These Outside Contractors may sometimes have limited access to information collected on our Website, including your Personally Identifiable Information, in the course of providing products or services to us. Access to your Personally Identifiable Information by these contractors is limited to the information reasonably necessary in order for the Outside Contractors to perform their limited function for us. We also require that these Outside Contractors (i) protect the privacy of your Personally Identifiable Information consistent with this Privacy Policy, and (ii) not use or disclose your Personally Identifiable Information for any purpose other than providing us with products or services for which we contracted.
Sale of Business.
We reserve the right to transfer information to a third party in the event of a sale, merger or other transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of Weight Loss Medical Center, provided that the third party agrees to adhere to the terms of this Privacy Policy. We will notify users of any such transfer through notice on our site.
DOES THIS PRIVACY POLICY APPLY WHEN YOU LINK TO OTHER WEBSITES?
Our Website may contain links to other websites now or in the future (for example, if you "click" on a banner advertisement, you will likely be taken off our Website. We will attempt to make it obvious to you when you leave our Website and enter these websites by opening a new browser or otherwise notifying you that you are leaving our Website. However, please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such websites. We encourage you to be aware when our Website links to other websites and to read the privacy policies or statements of each and every website. This Privacy Policy applies solely to information collected by our Website.
IS THE INFORMATION WE COLLECT SECURE?
We want your information (including Personally Identifiable Information) to remain as secure as possible. We strive to provide secure transmission of your information from your computer to our servers through industry-standard techniques. To help ensure the integrity and privacy of the Personally Identifiable Information you provide to us via the Internet at the time you elect to become a registered user or subscribe to any of our services, we use Secured Socket Layer (SSL) encryption technology in transmitting such Personally Identifiable Information over the Internet to our servers. We secure the Personally Identifiable Information you provide on servers located in controlled, secure environments, protected from unauthorized access, use, or alteration. Only employees who need access to your information to perform a specific task or function are granted access to such information. In addition, all employees must abide by this Privacy Policy and are kept up-to-date on security practices. Any employee who violates this Privacy Policy is subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
Notwithstanding the above commitments to protect your information (including Personally Identifiable Information) from loss, misuse or alteration by third parties, you should be aware that there is always some risk involved in transmitting information over the Internet. There is also some risk that others could find a way to thwart our security systems. As a result, while we strive to protect your information, we cannot ensure or warrant the security and privacy of any information you transmit to us, and you do so at your own risk.
WHAT CHOICES DO YOU HAVE REGARDING THE COLLECTION, DISCLOSURE AND DISTRIBUTION OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION?
Except as otherwise described in this Privacy Policy, we will only use Personally Identifiable Information for the purposes described above or as otherwise disclosed at the time we request such information from you. You must "opt-in" and give us permission to use your Personally Identifiable Information for any other purpose. If you no longer wish to receive communications from us via postal mail, you may notify us by calling us at (954) 587-4434 or by contacting our Privacy Coordinator at the address set out below. Users of our Website are notified when Personally Identifiable Information is being collected by third parties on our Website. We do this so you can make an informed choice as to whether you should disclose information to a third party.
CAN YOU UPDATE OR CORRECT YOUR PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION?
You can always contact us in order to (1) update or correct your Personally Identifiable Information, (2) change your preferences with respect to communications and other information you receive from us, or (3) delete the Personally Identifiable Information maintained about you on our systems, by accessing My Profile or contacting our Privacy Coordinator at the address set out below. Such updates, corrections, changes and deletions will not have an effect on other information that we maintain, or information that we have provided to third parties in accordance with this Privacy Policy prior to such update, correction, change or deletion.
You should be aware that it is not technologically possible to remove each and every record of the information you have provided to us from our systems. The need to back-up our systems to protect information from inadvertent loss means that a copy of your Personally Identifiable Information may exist in a non-erasable form that will be difficult or impossible for us to locate. We promise that promptly after receiving your request, all Personally Identifiable Information stored in databases we actively use and other readily searchable media will be updated, corrected, changed or deleted, as appropriate, as soon as reasonably practicable.
HOW WILL YOU KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY?
If we decide to change this Privacy Policy, we will post those changes on our Website so you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it. If at any point we decide to use Personally Identifiable Information in a manner significantly different from that stated in this Privacy Policy, or otherwise disclosed to you, at the time it was collected, we will notify you by email or otherwise, and you will have a choice as to whether or not we use your Personally Identifiable Information in the new manner. We may also make non-significant changes to our Privacy Policy that generally will not affect our use of your Personally Identifiable Information. If you do not agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy, you should not use our Website.
WHOM DO YOU CONTACT IF YOU HAVE ANY PRIVACY QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy or feel that we are not abiding by the terms of our posted Privacy Policy, please contact our Privacy Coordinator in any of the following ways:
Email our Privacy Coordinator at:
[email protected]
Or, write to our Privacy Coordinator at:
Weight Loss Medical Center
2800 W. State Road 84, Suite 119
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
Attn: Privacy Coordinator
Or, fax our Privacy Coordinator at:
(954) 587-4434
Attn: Privacy Coordinator
If you have questions regarding this Privacy Policy, you should first contact our Privacy Coordinator at the address set out above. BY USING OUR WEBSITE, YOU SIGNIFY YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THIS PRIVACY POLICY. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY, YOU SHOULD NOT USE OUR WEBSITE. YOUR CONTINUED USE OF OUR WEBSITE FOLLOWING THE POSTING OF CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY WILL MEAN THAT YOU ACCEPT THOSE CHANGES.
Last modified as of March 01, 2009