Privacy + Cookies Policy
STEVE brand + strategic communication, LLC
September 2019
Purpose of this Policy
This privacy policy (“Policy”) explains our approach to any personal information that we might collect from you using this website (the “Site”) and in other situations or interactions with us, as well as the purposes for which we process your personal information. This Policy also sets out your rights in respect of our processing of your personal information.
This Policy will inform you of the nature of the personal information about you that is processed by us and how you can request that we delete, update, transfer and/or provide you with access to it. This Policy is intended to assist you in making informed decisions when using this Site.
We respect your concerns about privacy. For those visiting the site from Europe, we understand the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework (“Privacy Shield”) issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce. We commit to comply with the Privacy Shield Principles with respect to any personal information that we receive from the European Union.
BY USING OR ACCESSING THE SITE, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY OUR PRIVACY POLICY. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY, PLEASE DO NOT ACCESS OR OTHERWISE USE THE SITE. THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING.
Type of Personal Information Collected
Personal information is information that identifies you as an individual. Categories of personal information we collect includes:
-
contact information (i.e., name, physical address, telephone number, email address),
-
information about your interests or affiliations; and
-
additional information you submit to us.
Additional information about the personal information we collect is described in the next section How we use personal information and the Cookie Policy, below.
WAYS OF OBTAINING PERSONAL INFORMATION
We may collect and receive your personal information using different methods:
-
Personal information you provide to us. You may give us your personal information directly. This will be the case when, for example, you contact us with inquires, complete forms on our Site or in hard copy or participate in a survey, subscribe to receive our marketing material or provide feedback to us otherwise through your interactions with us.
-
Personal information we collect from you automatically. When you access and use our Site, we will automatically collect certain technical information about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns. We collect this personal information by using cookies and other similar technologies (see Cookie Policy below).
-
Personal information received from third parties. From time to time, we will receive personal information about you from third parties. Such third parties may include analytics providers, payment providers and third parties that provide technical services to us so that we can operate our Site and provide our services.
-
Publicly available personal information. From time to time we may collect personal information about you from publicly available sources or media reports or personal information about you that you or a third party may make publicly available to us (for example through speaking at events or publishing articles or other news stories).
How We Use Personal Information
Our primary goal in collecting personal information from you is to:
-
verify your identity,
-
help us improve our products and services;
-
help us develop and market new products and services,
-
carry out requests made by you to us,
-
investigate or settle inquiries or disputes,
-
comply with any applicable law, court order, other judicial process, or the requirements of a regulator,
-
protect the rights, property or safety of us or third parties, including our other clients and users of the Site,
-
provide support for the provision of our Services, and
-
use as otherwise required or permitted by law.
Uses of Personal Information Collected Through This Site
The following describes how we use personal information that we collect through this Site:
Client information: Information we collect with respect to our clients and potential clients is used to enable us to respond to client requests, to administer client accounts with us, to conduct credit checks (if and when necessary), and to verify and carry out financial transactions for payments made to us.
Media and informational inquiries: We may collect information for interviews requests, for media questions, or requests for information about our company. We may also provide you with the opportunity to sign up for newsletters or to receive copies of blogs and other information that we make available. Contact information may be requested in each case, together with details of other personal information that is relevant to these inquiries. This information is used in order to enable us to respond to your requests or media requests.
Cookies: We use cookies and similar other technologies to collect information from the computer hardware and software you use to access the Site, or from your mobile. Please see our Cookie Policy for additional information.
The information you provide to us may be archived or stored periodically.
Other Uses of Personal Information
We may also collect information in other contexts other than this Site. That information may be used in the manner described above and in other ways, such as:
Surveys and voting: We may collect personal information from you via surveys or voting polls. Participation is voluntary and you will have the opportunity to decide whether or not to disclose information. At times, you may have to register to vote or to take part in a survey. We would use that information to report the results of the survey or vote.
Industry information: We collect and maintain databases containing information about journalists, talent, social media influencers, social media users and other professionals in the public relations, news or media industry collected by us or by our trusted third-party media analytics service providers. Such information may include an individual’s name, business contact details, professional interests and affiliations. This information may be information that is voluntarily supplied to us by those individuals through our Site or in other situations (such as public speaking events), or information that is public or available in third party databases or via third party content platforms (including social media platforms).
Additionally, we may collect and/or review other publicly available news stories and other journalistic content including content made available through public news sites and social media sites to understand what people are saying about us and our clients. We use this information to provide our services to our clients, including ensuring we and our clients are fully up to speed on public opinion in any area and are fully briefed when it comes to dealing with the press or media. We may also use this information for our own internal administrative and promotional purposes. We make efforts to minimize the use of this information to that which is strictly necessary for our legitimate business interests.
Interactive areas: We may provide interactive areas, such as message boards, chat rooms or other forums. Participation in these areas by users is voluntary. We discourage you from submitting any information that may identify you personally when participating in these areas. Use of these public areas is not secure and we cannot ensure that your information will be protected.
Marketing communication: We may carry out marketing activities using your personal information. We may send marketing information to you by mail or email. We may also provide you with information about media and public relations events. It may be necessary to mention the purpose of other marketing communications at the point that we collect that information. We send this information and materials to you where you have consented to receive such information or materials, or where we have another lawful basis to do so to the extent required by law.
Receipt of services: If we have engaged you or the organization you represent to provide us with products or services (for example, if you or the organization you represent provide us with services such as IT support or financial advice), we will collect and process your personal information in order to manage our relationship with you or the organization you represent, to receive products and services from you or the organization you represent and, where relevant, to provide our Services to others.
Business administration and legal compliance: We may use your personal information for the following business administration and legal compliance purposes:
-
to comply with our legal obligations;
-
to enforce our legal rights;
-
to protect the rights of third parties; and
-
in connection with a business transition such as a merger, reorganization, acquisition by another company, or sale of all or a portion of our assets.
Personal information of Children
This Site is intended for ages 18 and older. We do not intend to or knowingly collect personal information from children.
Obtaining Your Consent
Where our use of your personal information requires your consent, you can provide such consent:
-
at the time we collect your personal information following the instructions provided; or
-
by informing us by e-mail, post or phone using the contact details set out in this Policy.
Please note that if you specifically consent to additional uses of your personal information, we may use your personal information in a manner consistent with that consent.
ACCESS
We provide you with reasonable access to the personal information maintained about you. We also provide you with a reasonable opportunity to correct, amend or delete the information where it is inaccurate or has been processed in violation of the Privacy Shield Principles, as appropriate. We may limit or deny access to personal information where the burden or expense of providing access would be disproportionate to the risks to your privacy in the case in question, or where the rights of third persons would be violated.
CHOICE AND MEANS
We generally offer you the opportunity to choose whether your personal information may be (a) disclosed to third-party controllers or (b) used for a purpose that is materially different from the purposes for which the information was originally collected or subsequently authorized by you. To the extent required by the Privacy Shield Principles, we obtain opt-in consent for certain uses and disclosures of sensitive data. Unless we offer you an appropriate choice, we use personal information only for purposes that are materially the same as those indicated in this Policy. To exercise your choices, you may contact us as indicated in this Policy.
SECURITY
STEVE brand + strategic communication, LLC takes reasonable and appropriate measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction, considering the risks involved in the processing and the nature of the personal data.
Third Party Links and Services: Our Site contains links to third party websites and services. Please remember that when you use a link to go from our Site to another website or you request a service from a third party, this Policy no longer applies.
Your browsing and interaction on any other websites, or your dealings with any other third-party service provider, is subject to that website’s or third-party service provider’s own rules and policies. We do not monitor, control, or endorse the privacy practices of any third parties.
This Site may integrate with social networking services. You understand that we do not control such services and are not liable for the manner in which they operate. While we may provide you with the ability to use such services in connection with our Site, we are doing so merely as an accommodation and, like you, are relying upon those third-party services to operate properly and fairly.
This Policy does not apply to these third-party websites and third-party service providers.
Opt Out and Unwanted Communications
To opt-out of any future promotional or marketing communications or any other communications from us, you should send a request to us via the email noted on the Site. We will process your request within a reasonable time after receipt. Please note that if you opt out in this manner, certain aspects of this Site may no longer be available to you.
Confidentiality and Security of Your Personal Information
We are committed to keeping the personal information you provide to us secure. We take reasonable and appropriate measures to protect your personal information.
Our Cookie Policy
We use cookies and similar technologies to collect personal information from the computer or other device you use to access the Site. “Cookies” are pieces of information that may be placed on your device for the purpose of collecting data to facilitate and enhance your communication and interaction with our Site. We may also allow certain third parties to place cookies as described below.
We use cookies and other technologies on all our sites to ensure the best possible experience on our Site. These uses include:
We use analytical cookies to recognize and count users of our Site, measure the effectiveness of our content, and understand how visitors use our Site. We currently use Google Analytics for this purpose.
We may place, or allow a third party to place, functional cookies to make a website easier to use, such as cookies that maintain a user’s session. You can delete these cookies via your browser settings.
You can review your Internet browser settings to exercise choices you have for certain cookies. If you disable or delete certain cookies in your Internet browser settings, you might not be able to access or use important functions or features of this Sites, and you may be required to re-enter your log-in details.
To learn more about the use of cookies for Google analytics, please visit the Google Analytics Opt-Out Brower Add-on at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/