FOI Assist is committed to respecting your privacy and protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains the current information management practices on our websites.
Commitment
FOI Assist is committed to protecting your privacy whether you are browsing for information or conducting business.
We will not collect your personal information unless you choose to use and receive online products and services that require it.
Collection, notice, use and disclosure
This Privacy Policy explains our current practices regarding what information FOI Assist may collect, use, and secure your personal information when you visit our websites.
Collection
We only collect personal information that is necessary to provide you with a program or service.
Use
We may only use personal information for the purpose it has been collected, or for a consistent purpose.
Disclosure
We may only disclose personal information where we have legal authority to do so, or where the disclosure is for the purpose that we collected the information.
What kind of information is collected?
When you browse or download information from FOI Assist websites, our servers automatically collect limited amounts of standard information for traffic monitoring and statistical purposes. The information is analyzed for operational trends, performance, and for ways to improve our sites. This information cannot be used to identify you.
We collect the following standard types of information:
- Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of the computers being used to access our sites
- operating systems and the types and versions of browsers used to access our sites
- Internet Service Providers used by visitors to our sites
- dates and times users access our sites
- pages visited
- keywords users enter into our search engine
- names and sizes of files requested
Websites collect the above noted information to provide users with access to information and services available on our websites. We may use hardware and software to anonymously monitor unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, disrupt service, or otherwise cause damage. As a general practice, we make no attempt to link this information with the identity of individuals visiting our sites. If an attempt to damage our site has been detected, further action may be taken.
What happens when you send us personal information?
You may choose to provide us with personal information such as your name, address, phone number, e-mail address and credit card number, if you wish to:
- submit an e-mail, comment, question or request or subscribe for information online
- request a service, product, or fill out a form online
- provide feedback, participate in consultations or surveys online
- conduct e-commerce transactions
When you visit an FOI Assist website, any personal information you provide will be used to respond to your message and/or provide you with the requested service or product.
Cookies
FOI Assist websites may use cookies. A cookie is a small text file sent from a Web server and placed on your computer’s hard drive. A cookie is generally used to enhance your browsing experience. You can choose to set your browser to detect and reject cookies, to accept cookies from all sites, or to prompt you whenever a site wants to send you a cookie. If you choose, they may be used to ‘remember’ your password and make it easier and faster to log-in to certain sites. Check your browser’s “Help” files to learn how to do this. If you choose to refuse cookies, you may not be able to access some of the interactive features on our websites.
Further information on ‘cookies’ is at the website of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario: “If you wanted to know…What to do about Cookies.”
Analytics
In order to serve you better, we use web analytics services including Google Analytics to help analyse the use of our websites. These tools use cookies to collect and generate information about your visits to our sites (including your IP address) that is transmitted to their servers in an anonymous form for processing. We study patterns of website activity so we can improve the experience of visitors to our sites.
The use of these tools does not allow us or our analytics service providers to identify individuals.
You can opt-out of analytics activity by setting your browser to notify you when a cookie is sent and block analytics cookies if desired. Please consult your browser’s Help Menu for instructions. Visiting our website with analytics cookies disabled will have no significant impact on your browsing experience.
Google currently offers a free Google Analytics opt-out tool.
Security
FOI Assist uses security safeguards to protect its networks and websites from misuse, alteration, copying, disclosure, destruction, monitoring or unauthorized sharing of information and damage. Safeguards include the use of security software and encryption protocols and involve physical, technical and procedural controls to protect information behind a firewall.
Contact
Questions or comments regarding these terms may be submitted via the Contact page.
Last updated December 11, 2020.
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