PRIMUS INC TELE PRIVACY POLICY
This Policy describes Primus's collection, use and/or disclosure of
personal information. It governs the behavior of employees and agents
acting on Primus's behalf when dealing with personal information. It
provides procedures for an individual's access to and correction of
personal information.
Personal information includes
information about an identifiable individual, presented in any form, such
as: age, name, ID number(s), income, ethnic origin, opinions, evaluations,
social status, disciplinary actions, credit records, loan records, medical
records.
Personal information does not include
the name, title or business address or telephone number of an employee of
an organization.
This Primus Tele Inc Privacy Policy is organized
along ten privacy principles, which are:
1.
Accountability
2. Identifying Purposes
3. Consent
4. Limiting Collection
5. Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention
6. Accuracy
7. Safeguards
8. Openness
9. Individual Access
10. Challenging Compliance
PRINCIPLE #1 -- ACCOUNTABILITY PRIMUS
TELE INC
Primus Inc is responsible
for personal information under its control and shall designate an
individual or individuals who are accountable for the organization's
compliance with the following principles.
1.1 Accountability for Primus's Tele compliance with the principles rests with the senior management of Primus
and the person or persons designated by senior management as Privacy
Officer, even though other individuals within the organization may be
responsible for the day-to-day collection and processing of personal
information. In addition, other individuals within the organization may be
delegated to act on behalf of senior management or the Privacy Officer.
1.2 Primus's Tele senior management has
designated the following person to act as Privacy Officer to oversee the
organization's compliance with the principles:
Attention:
Primus's Legal Department
Fax (703) 902-2814
1.3 Primus is responsible for personal
information in its possession or custody, including information that has
been transferred to a third party for processing. Primus shall use
contractual or other means to provide a comparable level of protection
while the information is being processed by a third party.
1.4 Primus shall implement policies and
practices to give effect to the principles, including:
(a)
implementing procedures to protect personal information;
(b) establishing procedures to receive and respond to complaints and
inquiries;
(c) training staff and communicating to staff information about Primus's
policies and practices; and
(d) developing information to explain Primus's policies and procedures.
PRIMUS INC PRINCIPLE #2 - IDENTIFYING PURPOSES
Primus shall identify
the purposes for which personal information is collected at or before the
time the information is collected.
2.1 Primus collects personal information
only for the following purposes ("identified purposes"):
(a)
to provide service(s) and/or products to its customers;
(b) to maintain commercial relations and to communicate with its customers
(which shall include, but not be limited to: billing, collection,
advertising, promotion, account verification);
(c) to identify customer needs and/or preferences;
(d) to meet legal and regulatory requirements;
(e) to administer and manage its business operations
2.2 Primus will provide notice of the
identified purposes either orally, electronically or writing prior to or
at the time of collection of the personal information.
2.3 Persons collecting personal
information shall be able to explain to individuals the purposes for which
the information is being collected, or shall refer the individual to a
designated person at Primus who shall explain the purposes.
2.4 When personal information that has
been collected is to be used for a purpose not previously identified, the
new purpose shall be identified prior to use. Unless the new purpose is
required by law, Primus shall obtain the consent of the individual before
information is used for that new purpose.
PRINCIPLE #3 Primus Tele - CONSENT
The knowledge and
consent of the individual are required for the collection, use or
disclosure of personal information, except where inappropriate.
3.1 In certain circumstances, personal
information can be collected, used, or disclosed without the knowledge and
consent of the individual. For example, legal, medical or security reasons
may make it impossible or impractical to seek consent. When information is
being collected for the detection and prevention of fraud or for law
enforcement, seeking the consent of the individual might defeat the
purpose of collecting the information. Seeking consent may be impossible
or inappropriate when there is an emergency threatening the individual's
life, health or security, or where the individual is a minor, seriously
ill, or mentally incapacitated. In other instances, information may be
publicly available. Moreover, Primus may provide personal information to
its lawyer or agent to collect a debt, comply with a subpoena, warrant or
other court order, government institution requesting the information upon
lawful authority, or as may be otherwise required by law.
3.2 Primus will generally seek consent
for the use or disclosure of the information at the time of collection. In
certain circumstances, consent with respect to use or disclosure may be
sought after the information has been collected but before use (for
example, when Primus wants to use information for a purpose not previously
identified).
3.3 Primus shall make a reasonable
effort to ensure that the individual is advised of the purposes for which
the information will be used. To make the consent meaningful, the purposes
shall be stated in such a manner that the individual can reasonably
understand how the information will be used or disclosed.
3.4 Primus shall not, as a condition of
the supply of a product or service, require an individual to consent to
the collection, use, or disclosure of information beyond that required to
fulfill the explicitly specified and legitimate purposes.
3.5 The form of consent sought by Primus
may vary, depending upon the circumstances and the type of information
disclosed. In determining the form of consent to use, Primus shall take
into account the sensitivity of the information and the reasonable
expectations of the individual. An authorized representative (such as a
legal guardian or a person having power of attorney) can also give
consent.
Primus will seek express consent when
the information is likely to be considered sensitive.
Implied consent will
generally be appropriate when the information is less sensitive. The use
of services or products by a customer or the acceptance of employment by
an employee shall be considered implied consent to collect, use and
disclose personal information for all identified purposes.
3.6 An individual may withdraw consent
at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable
notice. Primus shall inform the individual of the implications of such
withdrawal. In order to withdraw consent, an individual must provide
notice to Primus in writing.
3.7 With respect to
personal information already collected by Primus Tele Inc prior to the publication
of this Privacy Policy, this Policy shall constitute reasonable notice to
Primus's current customers and employees of the purposes and uses for
which such personal information has been collected. Should an individual
object to these ongoing uses or disclosures, consent may be withdrawn upon
providing notice to Primus in writing.
PRINCIPLE #4 - LIMITING COLLECTION
The collection of
personal information shall be limited to that which is necessary for the
purposes identified by Primus . Information shall be collected by fair and
lawful means.
4.1 Primus collects personal information
from its customers and employees for the purposes described under
Principle #2.
4.2 Primus may also collect personal
information from such third parties as credit bureaus, employers or
personal references or other third parties that represent that they have
the right to disclose the information.
4.3 In connection with its Internet
business, Primus may use a 'Cookie' to collect certain information which
it uses to track user patterns on its web site(s). A Cookie is a text file
containing a unique identification number that identifies a user's
browser, but not a particular individual. A Cookie does not identify an
individual. Furthermore, Primus does not use Cookies in combination with
other information to obtain personally identifiable information. If an
individual does not wish to use Cookies, he or she can re-set their
browser to either provide notification or refuse to accept Cookies.
PRINCIPLE #5 - LIMITING USE,
DISCLOSURE, AND RETENTION
Personal information
shall not be used or disclosed for purposes other than those for which it
was collected, except with the consent of the individual or as required by
law. Personal information shall be retained only as long as necessary for
the fulfilllment of those purposes.
5.1 Primus may collect, use or disclose
personal information without the individual's knowledge or consent in
certain circumstances as described in Principle #3.1.
5.2 Primus may disclose a customer's
personal information to:
(a)
another telecommunication company for the provision of telecommunications
services to that customer;
(b) a company involved in providing communications directory services;
(c) a person involved in the development, promotion, marketing or
enhancement of Primus services;
(d) a credit collections agency;
(e) emergency services in an emergency situation;
(f) a person, who, in the reasonable estimation of Primus , is an agent of
the customer;
(g) any other third party, upon receiving the consent of the customer or
as required by law.
5.3 Primus Tele Inc may disclose an employee's
personal information in the following circumstances:
(a)
in the administration of that employee's benefits;
(b) in providing references to prospective employers, upon receiving the
consent of the employee;
(c) as may be required by law.
5.4 Certain Primus employees may be
given access to customer and/or employee information in so far as their
duties require access for business purposes. Primus employees are governed
by a non-disclosure agreement prohibiting disclosure or use of any
confidential or personal information for any purposes other than the
stated business purposes.
5.5 Primus shall retain personal
information for only as long as required to fulfill the identified
purposes or as required by law.
5.6 Personal information that is no
longer required to fulfill the identified purposes shall be destroyed,
erased or made anonymous according to the guidelines and procedures
established by Primus .
PRINCIPLE #6 - ACCURACY
Personal information
shall be as accurate, complete, and up-to-date as is necessary for the
purposes for which it is to be used.
6.1 The extent to which personal
information shall be accurate, complete, and up-to-date will depend upon
the use of the information, taking into account the interests of the
individual. Information shall be sufficiently accurate, complete, and
up-to-date to minimize the possibility that inappropriate information may
be used to make a decision about the individual.
6.2 Primus shall not routinely update
personal information unless such a process is necessary to fulfill the
purposes for which the information was collected.
6.3 Personal information that is used on
an ongoing basis, including information that is disclosed to third
parties, should generally be accurate and up-to-date, unless limits to the
requirement for accuracy are clearly set out.
PRINCIPLE #7 - SAFEGUARDS
Personal information
shall be protected by security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity
of the information.
7.1 Primus shall protect personal
information against loss or theft, as well as unauthorized access,
disclosure, copying, use, or modification. The nature of the safeguards
will vary depending on the sensitivity of the information that has been
collected, the amount, distribution and format of the information, and the
method of storage.
7.2 Primus protects all personal
information regardless of the format in which it is held. The methods of
protection include:
(a)
physical measures, such as locked filing cabinets and restricted access to
offices;
(b) organizational measures, such as security clearances and limiting
access on a "need to know" basis;
(c) technological measures, such as the use of passwords and encryption.
7.3 Primus makes their employees aware
of the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of personal
information. Primus employees are governed by a non-disclosure agreement
prohibiting disclosure or use of any confidential or personal information
for any purposes other than the stated business purposes.
7.4 Primus shall use care in the
disposal or destruction of personal information to prevent unauthorized
parties from gaining access to the information.
PRINCIPLE #8 - OPENNESS
Primus shall make
readily available to individuals specific information about its policies
and practices relating to the management of personal information.
8.1 Primus shall make its policies and
practices with respect to the management of personal information easily
comprehensible and accessible, by providing upon request:
(a)
the name, title, and address of the Privacy Officer accountable for
Primus's policies and practices and to whom complaints or inquiries can be
forwarded;
(b) the means of gaining access to personal information held by Primus ;
and
(c) a description of the type of information held by Primus and/or its
subsidiaries, including a general account of its use.
8.2 Primus will make this Privacy Policy
available online, by mail, or in a brochure format at its place of
business. Furthermore, Primus's Customer Services Representatives shall be
trained to answer requests at Primus's toll-free customer service
telephone number.
PRINCIPLE #9 - INDIVIDUAL ACCESS
Upon request, an
individual shall be informed of the existence, use, and disclosure of his
or her personal information and shall be given access to that information.
An individual shall be able to challenge the accuracy and completeness of
the information and have it amended as appropriate.
9.1 Upon request, Primus shall inform an
individual whether or not the organization holds personal information
about the individual, and shall provide that individual with a reasonable
opportunity to review the personal information in his or her file.
9.2 Primus shall allow the individual
access to his or her personal information once the individual has provided
Primus with a written request application. Primus shall make the
application available to customers through Customer Service
Representatives and to employees through the Human Resources Department.
The application shall include sufficient information to permit Primus to
provide an account of the existence, use, and disclosure to any third
parties of this personal information. Primus shall use the application
only for this purpose.
9.3 Primus shall respond to an
application for individual access to personal information within a
reasonable time and at minimal or no cost to the individual. The requested
information shall be provided or made available in a form that is
generally understandable.
9.4 Primus shall be as specific as
possible in providing an account of third parties to which it has
disclosed personal information about an individual. When it is not
possible to provide a list of the organizations to which it has actually
disclosed information about an individual, Primus shall provide a list of
organizations to which it may have disclosed information about the
individual.
9.5 In certain instances, Primus will
not be able to provide the individual access to his or her personal
information. For example, Primus will not provide access to information
where the information requested is prohibitively costly to provide; where
the information contains references to other individuals; where the
information cannot be disclosed for legal, security or commercial
proprietary reasons; where the information is subject to solicitor-client
or litigation privilege; or where the information can best be available
from another source (for example, through a medical practitioner). In each
case, Primus will provide reasons for denying any access to personal
information.
9.6 When an individual successfully
demonstrates the inaccuracy or incompleteness of personal information,
Primus shall amend the information as required. Depending upon the nature
of the information challenged, amendment involves the correction, deletion
or addition of information. Where appropriate, the amended information
shall be transmitted to third parties having access to the information in
question.
9.7 When a challenge is not resolved to
the satisfaction of the individual, Primus shall record the substance of
the unresolved challenge. When appropriate, the existence of the
unresolved challenge shall be transmitted to third parties having access
to the information in question.
PRINCIPLE #10 - CHALLENGING COMPLIANCE
An individual shall be
able to address a challenge concerning compliance with the above
principles to Primus's Privacy Officer.
10.1 Primus shall maintain procedures to
receive and respond to complaints or inquiries about its policies and
practices relating to the handling of personal information. Primus will
make every effort to ensure that its procedures are easily accessible and
simple to use.
10.2 Primus shall inform individuals who
make inquiries or lodge complaints of the existence of relevant complaint
procedures.
10.3 The person or persons accountable
for compliance with this Privacy Policy may seek external advice where
appropriate before providing a final response to individual complaints.
10.4
Primus shall investigate all complaints. If a complaint is found to be
justified, Primus shall take appropriate measures, including, if
necessary, amending its policies and practices.
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