Aspecs.org (the «Site») is committed to protecting the privacy of users of the Site. Aspecs.org intends to give users as much control as possible over user's personally identifiable information, including registration data. This Privacy Statement applies to the Site and describes the information Aspecs.org collects about users and how that information may be used.
Aspecs.org reserves the right to update and change this Privacy Statement from time to time. If Aspecs.org makes material changes to its privacy practices, a prominent notice will be posted on this web page. Each time a user uses the Site, the current version of the Privacy Statement applies. Accordingly, a user should check the date of this Privacy Statement (which appears at the bottom) and review for any changes since the last version. If a user does not agree to the Privacy Statement, the user should not use the Site.
Aspecs.org complies with the French law N° 78-17 of 6 January 1978 relative to information technology, to files and to freedoms (CNIL) as set forth by the CNIL regarding the collection, use, and retention of data. Individuals who wish to file a complaint or who take issue with Aspecs.org's French law N° 78-17 of 6 January 1978 relative to information technology, to files and to freedoms (CNIL) should direct such communication to UTBM Communication Service via written communication at the contact information provided below. Filing a complaint in English will expedite the process. Aspecs.org will investigate and attempt to resolve complaints regarding use and disclosure of personal information in accordance with the principles contained in this Privacy Statement. For complaints that cannot be resolved between Aspecs.org and the complainant, Aspecs.org participates in the dispute resolution procedures of the panel established by the EU data protection authorities to resolve disputes pursuant to the Safe Harbor framework.
Aspecs.org agrees to notify users of the following privacy principles: Notice, Choice, Onward Transfer, Security, Data Integrity, Access, and Enforcement.
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Notice
Aspecs.org provides this Privacy Statement to make users aware of Aspecs.org privacy practices, and of the choices a user may make about the way the user's information is collected and used.
Children
Users represent they are of legal age to create binding and financial obligations for any liability users may incur as a result of their use of the Site. The Site is not directed to children under the age of 13, and Aspecs.org will never request personally identifiable information from anyone whom it knows to be under the age of 13 without verifiable parental or guardian consent. Aspecs.org does not knowingly collect, or wish to obtain, personally identifiable information from children. If Aspecs.org becomes aware that a user is under the age of 13 and has provided personally identifiable information without prior verifiable parental or guardian consent, it will remove user's personally identifiable information from its files.
What information Aspecs.org collects
Aspecs.org may collect two types of information from users of Site: "personally identifiable information" (such as name, email address, postal address, telephone, birth date) and "aggregate information" (such as frequency of visits to Site, IP address, Site pages most frequently accessed, browser type). Personally identifiable information is any piece of information which can potentially be used to uniquely identify, contact, or locate a user of the Site. Aggregate information is non-personally identifiable/anonymous information about users of the Site. Aggregate information is used in a collective manner and no single person can be identified by that compiled information.
On the Site, users may order products or services, and register to receive materials. Personally identifiable information collected on the Site includes community forum content, diaries, profiles, photographs, name, unique identifiers (e.g., passwords), contact and billing information (e.g., email address, postal address, telephone, fax), and transaction information.
In order to tailor Aspecs.org's subsequent communications to users and continuously improve the Site' products and services, Aspecs.org may also ask users to provide information regarding their interests, demographics, experience with its products, and detailed contact preferences.
Cookies
Aspecs.org uses cookies on the Site. A cookie is a unique text file that may be used for data analysis, and enables a web site to tailor information presented to a user based on a user's browsing program. Aspecs.org may use cookies to personalize a user's pages at a Site, to remember a user when the user registers for products or services, or to track visits to a Site. If a user does not want Aspecs.org to deploy cookies in the user's browser, the user may set the browser to reject cookies or to notify the user when a web site tries to place cookies in the browser program. Rejecting cookies may affect a user's ability to use some of the products, features, functions, or services on a Site. Cookies do not contain personally identifiable information.
Log files
Aspecs.org web servers may automatically log aggregate information, such as a user's IP address, domain name, browser type, date and time of access, and other log file data. This information may be used to analyze trends or administer the Site. Log files do not contain personally identifiable information.
How Aspecs.org uses the information collected
Aspecs.org may use the personally identifiable information a user submits for any purposes related to Aspecs.org's business, including, but not limited to:
- To understand a user's needs and create content that is relevant to the user;
- To generate statistical studies;
- To conduct market research and planning by sending user surveys;
- To notify user referrals of Aspecs.org services, information, or products when a user requests that Aspecs.org send such information to referrals;
- To improve services, information, and products;
- To help a user complete a transaction, or provide services or customer support;
- To communicate back to the user;
- To update the user on services, information, and products;
- To personalize a Site for the user;
- To notify the user of any changes with a Site which may affect the user;
- To enforce terms of use on a Site; and
- To allow the user to purchase products, access services, or otherwise engage in activities the user selects.
User names, identifications («IDs»), and email addresses (as well as any additional information that a user may choose to post) may be publicly available on a Site when users voluntarily and publicly disclose personally identifiable information, such as when a user posts personally identifiable information in conjunction with content subject to an Open Source license, or as part of a message posted to a public forum or a publicly-released software application. Users may not be able to change or remove public postings once posted. Such personally identifiable information may be used by visitors of these pages to send unsolicited messages. Aspecs.org is not responsible for any consequences which may occur from the use of personally identifiable information that a user chooses to submit to public pages.
With respect to surveys, in the event that responses are publicly disclosed, users will be notified at the time they take the survey. Aspecs.org will disclose only aggregate information regarding its users, which as stated earlier is anonymous information that does not identify any specific individual. Circumstances under which Aspecs.org would publicly disclose such aggregate information include, but are not limited to, sharing survey results with the site population, providing data to Aspecs.org advertisers on user preferences and/or demographics, and publicizing overall usage data in press communications.
Where surveys allow users to submit written comments, and where Aspecs.org advises users of the possibility of such disclosure at the time they take the survey, Aspecs.org reserves the right to disclose any information provided by users, provided that no personal information identifying a specific user is disclosed. Participation in surveys is at a user's option; Aspecs.org does not conduct mandatory surveys.
Choice/Opt Out
A user makes the decision whether to proceed with any activity that requests personally identifiable information. If a user does not provide requested information, the user may not be able to complete certain transactions.
Users who use the personally identifiable information of other users agree to use such information only for:
- Using services offered through a Site;
- Site transaction-related purposes and not for unsolicited commercial messages; or
- Other purposes that the other user expressly chooses.
Users are not licensed to add other users to a Site, even users who entered into transactions with them, or to their mail lists without consent.
Aspecs.org encourages users to evaluate privacy and security policies of any of the Site' transaction partners before entering into transactions or choosing to disclose personally identifiable information.
Emails
Aspecs.org will not use or share the personally identifiable information provided to it online in ways unrelated to the items described above without first letting a user know and offering the user a choice. If a user no longer wishes to receive direct marketing materials, Aspecs.org will provide instructions in each of its emails on how to be removed from any lists. Aspecs.org will make commercially reasonable efforts to honor such requests.
Profile or User ID Display
A user's personally identifiable information may be publicly available through a user's profile or user ID display. In such cases, users have the option and discretion to opt out of publicly displaying their real names at any time by changing their display name under the Site' user preferences. Profile or user ID display may allow other users to see a user's activities, including purchase and sales content, ratings, and comments.
Email Display
Users may have the opportunity to use a service to send electronic mail to another user or email list. In such cases, a user's valid email address and real name will be included with such messages. In order to prevent abuse, users may not opt out of such a display, but may choose to refrain from using such service to transmit an email message.
Aspecs.org offers an email alias service that allows a user to create an email alias that forwards to the user's personal email account. Aspecs.org does not publish a user's personal email address, but does publicize email aliases which may allow an individual to identify or contact a user. A user who obtains an email alias may not opt out of such publication of the email alias.
Photographs
Users may have the opportunity to submit photographs to the Site for product promotions, contests, and other purposes to be disclosed at the time of request. In these circumstances, the Site are designed to allow the public to view, download, save, and otherwise access the photographs posted. By submitting a photograph, users waive any privacy expectations users have with respect to the security of such photographs, and Aspecs.org's use or exploitation of users' likeness. All photographs submitted to Aspecs.org become the property of Aspecs.org and will not be returned.
Onward Transfer
With whom may Aspecs.org share information?
Aspecs.org will not sell, rent, or lease a user's personally identifiable information to others, except as described in this Privacy Statement. Unless Aspecs.org has a user's permission or as required by law, Aspecs.org will only share the personally identifiable information a user provides online with other entities that are part of the Aspecs.org corporate family and/or outside service providers who may be used to ship products, process credit cards, provide technical support, handle order processing, or otherwise act on Aspecs.org's behalf. These third parties are prohibited from using users' information for any other purpose, including their own marketing.
When Aspecs.org uses third parties to assist in processing a Site's user personally identifiable information, Aspecs.org requests that they comply with Aspecs.org privacy practices, and other appropriate confidentiality and security measures.
Please be advised that in certain instances, it may be necessary for Aspecs.org to disclose a user's personally identifiable information without a user's permission to government officials or otherwise as required by legal obligations. Aspecs.org may disclose such personally identifiable information when responding to subpoenas, court orders, or legal process, or to establish or exercise legal rights or defend against claims, including fraud or infringement investigations.
Data collected online may be combined with information a user provides through other means of communication, such as postal mail or third parties to further carry out the purposes described above under the heading «NOTICE, How Aspecs.org uses the information collected regarding users».
When users choose to provide Aspecs.org with personally identifiable information, users consent to the transfer and storage of such information by Aspecs.org servers in the United States.
In addition, Aspecs.org reserves the right to share aggregate information collected from users of the Site, without prior notice, with entities that are part of the Aspecs.org corporate family and unrelated third parties. As stated earlier, aggregate information is used in a collective manner and no single person can be identified by such compiled information.
Service Orders
To purchase services, users may be asked to be directed to a third party site, like PayPal, to pay for their purchases. If applicable, the third party site may collect payment information directly to facilitate a transaction. None of this information will be captured or stored by Aspecs.org.
Links to third party web sites
Links to third party web sites on the Site are provided solely as a convenience to the user. When a user uses these links, the user leaves the Site. Aspecs.org has not reviewed all of these third party sites, does not control, and is not responsible for, any of the third party sites, their content or privacy practices. Aspecs.org does not endorse or make any representations about the third party sites, or any information, services, or products found on the sites. If a user decides to access any of the linked sites, Aspecs.org encourages the user to read their privacy statements. The user accesses such sites at user's own risk.
Bankruptcy or Sale of business
Aspecs.org reserves the right to share or transfer personally identifiable information and aggregate information to a third party should Aspecs.org ever file for bankruptcy or in the event of a sale, merger or acquisition of Aspecs.org, provided such third party agrees to adhere to the terms of this Privacy Statement.
Data Integrity and Access
Should a user find inaccuracies in such user's information, or desire to close an account or view the personally identifiable information Aspecs.org may have regarding the user, the user may contact Aspecs.org through the communication methods described below, or when technically feasible, directly on a Site. Aspecs.org will make commercially reasonable efforts to respond to requests for access within thirty (30) days of receiving requests. Aspecs.org may decline to process users' access or update requests to their personally identifiable information if the requests require disproportionate technical effort, jeopardize the privacy of other users, or are impractical (for instance, requests concerning information residing on backup tapes).
Security
To prevent unauthorized access or disclosure, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the appropriate use of information, Aspecs.org implements physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information Aspecs.org collects. Aspecs.org uses encryption when collecting or transferring sensitive personally identifiable information. However, Aspecs.org does not guarantee that unauthorized third parties will never defeat measures taken to prevent improper use of personally identifiable information.
Internal Aspecs.org access to users' nonpublic personally identifiable information is restricted to Aspecs.org's administrators and individuals on a need-to-know basis. These individuals are bound by confidentiality agreements.
User passwords are keys to accounts. Use unique numbers, letters, and special characters for passwords and do not disclose passwords to other people in order to prevent loss of account control. Users are responsible for all actions taken in their accounts. Notify Aspecs.org of any password compromises, and change passwords periodically to maintain account protection.
Enforcement
In the event Aspecs.org becomes aware that the security of a Site has been compromised or user's personally identifiable information has been disclosed to unrelated third parties as a result of external activity, including but not limited to security attacks or fraud, Aspecs.org reserves the right to take reasonable appropriate measures, including but not limited to, investigation and reporting, and notification to and cooperation with law enforcement authorities.
If Aspecs.org becomes aware that a user's personally identifiable information has been disclosed in a manner not permitted by this Privacy Statement, Aspecs.org will make reasonable efforts to notify the affected user, as soon as reasonably possible and as permitted by law, of what information has been disclosed, to the extent that Aspecs.org knows this information.
If a user has comments or questions about Aspecs.org's privacy statement, please contact:
- Email: set[at]utbm.fr
- Postal Mail:
ASPECS Methodology Group,
Multiagent Systems and Applications Group,Systems and Transportation Laboratory (SeT), University of Technology of Belfort-Montbéliard (UTBM), F-90 010 Belfort Cedex, France.
