Privacy Policy

Effective Date: August 31 2018

Privacy Statement

Your privacy is a priority for Benztown websites, operated by Benztown Branding, LLC (sometimes referred to as “Benztown,” “us,” or “we”), located at www.benztown.com and www.benztownbranding.com (collectively, the “Site”), and we want you to be familiar with how we collect, use, and disclose information relating to you, your computer, or your device and that enable your identification (“Personal Information”). This Privacy Statement describes our practices with information that we (or our service providers) collect from a user (sometimes referred to as “you” or “your”) through our websites that link to this Privacy Statement. This Privacy Statement only addresses information collected directly through or from our Site – it does not address or govern any information-gathering, use, or dissemination practices related to information collected from you other than directly through or from the Site, such as from telephone, facsimile, postal mail, personal delivery, or other or additional offline means or media.

This Privacy Statement is incorporated into Benztown’s Terms and Conditions by reference, as if set forth fully therein. By using the Site, you agree and consent to the Terms and Conditions and this Privacy Statement.

Benztown can be contacted at mail@benztown.com.

1. Collection of Personal Information From Users

When you interact with us through the Site, we may collect information from you as described below.

a. Information you provide

We collect Personal Information that you knowingly choose to submit through the Site in order to benefit from specified features or to participate in certain activities, such as information that you knowingly provide when you contact us through the “Contact Us” portion of the Site or when you create an account on the Site or when you sign up for an email newsletter. For example, if you register for a Benztown event, you may provide us with information such as your name, telephone number, and email address. If you apply for a job with Benztown, you may submit your resume or other information through the Site.

Certain parts of the Site may allow you to submit comments that will be available to all users of those sections of the Site.

We may combine information you submit through the Site with other information we have collected from you, whether on-line or off-line. We treat the combined information in accordance with this Privacy Statement.

b. Location information

Any comment system on the Site may utilize an opt-in Geolocation service in accordance with a prevailing community standard such as HTML 5. Such Geolocation opt-in ability is managed by the user’s browser settings. If a user chooses to opt-in to the Geolocation service, the user’s comments may be associated with the user’s location, both internally within Benztown and publicly on the Sites.

c. Passive Information Collection, Use, and Choices

Also, as you navigate the Site, certain Personal Information may be passively collected, meaning it is gathered without your actively providing it. This is done using the following techniques in the following ways:

  • IP Adresses: An IP address is a unique identifier that certain electronic devices use to identify and communicate with each other on the Internet. When you visit our Site, we may view the IP address of the device you use to connect to the Internet. We use this information to determine the general physical location of the device and understand from what geographic regions our website visitors come. We also may use this information to enhance our Site.
  • Through your browser: Certain information is collected by most browsers, such as your Media Access Control (MAC) address, computer type and operating system type and version screen resolution, and Internet browser type and version.
  • Social Media Widgets: Our Site may include social media tools, including social media widgets or plug-ins, to connect you to your social media accounts. These features may set a cookie or use other automatic collection and tracking technologies to collect information about you and your use of the social media features through and in connection with our Site. These social media tools may be hosted by a third party. Your interactions with these tools and the corresponding social media platforms are governed by the privacy policies of the companies that provide such platforms.
  • Cookies: Like many companies, our Site may use “cookies” to help make sure the Site is meeting the needs of its users, to help us make improvements, and for marketing purposes. Below we describe the function of the cookies used on the Site and how you can opt-out of the use of such cookies:

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    • Strictly necessary cookies are needed for the Site to function properly. We use these to store information, such as text input or configuration options, as you navigate through the pages on the Site. If these cookies are disabled, then the Site cannot function.

    Functional Cookies

    • Functional cookies allow the Site to remember certain settings or configurations in order to personalize website function. You can refuse our use of some or all of these cookies by turning off the use of cookies in your web browser. If you use your browser settings to block all types of cookies you may not be able to access all or parts of our Site or functionality may be limited. You can set your browser to notify you before you receive a cookie, giving you the chance to decide whether to accept it. You can also set your browser to turn off cookies. Each browser has a different procedure for disabling the use of cookies. The Help function within your browser should tell you how. Alternatively, you may visit http://www.aboutcookies.org where you can review information on how to control cookies on a variety of browsers. You will also find details of how to delete cookies from your computer and other general information about cookies. Note that if you delete cookies when using one computer, this will not stop the use of cookies if you access the Site using another computer.

    Analytics Cookies

    • Analytics cookies are third-party cookies that allow us to track website usage trends and use that information to improve both website performance and user experience. The third-party service we use is Google Analytics, a web analysis service from Google Inc. The cookie stored on your browser transmits information about your use of the Site to a Google server in the United States. However, since IP anonymization has been activated on this Site, the information stored is completely anonymized and cannot be used to track you as an individual. These are persistent cookies that can last for up to two years. You can visit https://www.google.com/analytics/learn/privacy.html to learn more about Google Analytics’ use of cookies and you can visit https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout for information on how to opt out of Google Analytics cookies.

    Marketing Cookies

    • We also use third-party cookies for marketing purposes. The third-party service we use is the remarketing feature through Google Adwords, an advertising service provided by Google, Inc. Google stores cookies related to the use of the Site in your browser. Once you navigate to another website that also employs the remarketing feature, these cookies will be used to display personalized advertisements related to the content you viewed on this Site. The data collected about you for remarketing purposes may include the content you view, when you view the content, and the location information associated with your IP address, but we do not use this data to identify who you are. You have the option to opt-out of the use of third party marketing cookies at any time by changing your cookie settings in your browser or by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative website, click here: http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/. You also have the option to deactivate the remarketing feature by changing your Google settings: https://adssettings.google.com and you can maintain your opt-out preference using the Google browser ad-on found here: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/.
  • Embedded Videos: Should a user ever view any embedded Vimeo or Youtube video material, please be aware that Vimeo and Youtube apply their own cookies which help you stay logged in, suggest recommended videos, volume preference and help to deliver advertisements. For further information regarding their policies, please refer to these webpages:

    https://vimeo.com/cookie_policy

    https://www.policies.google.com/privacy (YouTube)

You can refuse our use of some or all cookies by turning off the use of cookies in your web browser. If you use your browser settings to block all types of cookies you may not be able to access all or parts of our Site or functionality may be limited.
You can set your browser to notify you before you receive a cookie, giving you the chance to decide whether to accept it. You can also set your browser to turn off cookies.
Changing your internet browser settings can prevent the use of cookies. Each browser has a different procedure for disabling the use of cookies. The Help function within your browser should tell you how. Alternatively, you may visit http://www.aboutcookies.org where you can review information on how to control cookies on a variety of browsers. You will also find details of how to delete cookies from your computer and other general information about cookies. Our Site currently does not respond to “Do Not Track” (DNT) signals and we operate as described in this Privacy Statement whether or not a DNT signal is received, as there is no consistent industry standard for compliance.

d. Sensitive Information

We ask that you not send or otherwise disclose to us through the Site your racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religion or other beliefs, health, criminal background, or trade union membership. Where you provide us with such information, we reserve the right to erase any such information at our discretion.

e. Information About Minors

The Site is not intended for persons under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect Personal Information online from persons in this age group. We reserve the right to delete any information identified as having been provided by such persons at our discretion.

2. How We Use the Information We Collect

We use Personal Information submitted by you or otherwise collected through the Site and through other sources for the purposes described in this Privacy Statement and as otherwise described to you at the point of collection. Generally, we use the information you provide to us for the reason for which it was provided. For example, if you sign up to receive email notifications, we will contact you by email. If you provide us with information to register for an event, we will use the information to process your registration. Specifically, we may use Personal Information from or about you:

  1. to respond to your inquiries and fulfill your requests, such as to send you alerts for which you have subscribed or to provide you with a demo that you requested;
  2. if you provide Personal Information in order to obtain access to or use the functionality of a part of the Site, we will use your Personal Information to provide you with such access or functionality, such as to allow you to make comments on blog posts on the Site;
  3. to send you important information regarding our relationship with you or regarding the Site, changes to our terms, conditions, and policies, and other administrative information;
  4. to notify you about upcoming events that may be of interest to you;
  5. to promote our services, and the services of our affiliates; and
  6. for our business purposes, such as data analysis, audits, recordkeeping, developing new products or services, enhancing the Site, improving our services, identifying Site usage trends, personalizing your experience on the Site, and determining the effectiveness of our fundraising campaigns.

We may use any information that does not personally identify you, your computer, or your device, for any purpose.

3. Our Disclosure of Your Information

Benztown does not sell your Personal Information. We may share your Personal Information with third parties only as described in this Privacy Statement or as otherwise described at the point where we collect the information from you, including:

  1. to our affiliates for the purposes described in this Privacy Statement; or
  2. to the companies or individuals that we hire to provide services to us, such as website hosting services;
  3. if you choose to comment on a blog post or participate in other similar interactive features on the Site, the content of your comment will be available to any users of that section of the Site, and they may disclose the content to third parties; and
  4. to a third party in the event of any reorganization, merger, sale, joint venture, assignment, transfer, or other disposition of all or any portion of our business, assets, or stock (including in connection with any bankruptcy or similar proceedings).

4. Uses and Disclosures to Comply with Laws.

In addition, we use and disclose Personal Information collected through the Site as we believe to be necessary or appropriate: (i) under applicable law, including laws outside your country of residence; (ii) to comply with legal process; (iii) to respond to requests from public and government authorities, including public and government authorities outside your country of residence; (iv) to enforce our terms and conditions; (v) to protect our operations or those of any of our affiliates; (vi) to protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property, and/or that of our affiliates, you, or others; and (vii) to allow us to pursue available remedies or limit the damages that we may sustain.

5. Links to Third Party Sites.

The Site may contain links to other Web sites for the convenience of users in locating information, products, or services that may be of interest. If you access a third party website from a link on this Site, any information you disclose on that website is not subject to this Privacy Statement. It is possible that these links may be used by third parties or others to collect personal or other information about you. Benztown is not responsible for the privacy practices of such websites, advertisers, or third parties or the content of such websites and it is your sole obligation to review and understand the privacy practices and policies of these other websites. Benztown does not control these third parties’ use of cookies, collection of information, or how they manage such information. It is solely your obligation to review and understand the privacy practices and policies of these other websites, advertisers and any third parties.

6. Where Your Information is Processed.

Benztown is based in the United States. No matter where you are located, you consent to the processing and transfer of your Personal Information in and to the United States and other countries. The laws of the United States and other countries governing data protection may not be as comprehensive or as protective as the laws in the country where you live.

7. Security

Benztown will take reasonable steps to protect the information collected and provided via the Site from loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, you should understand that no transmission over the Internet is ever fully secure. Also, Benztown uses reasonable efforts to ensure that the Site is generally available. However, there will be occasions when access to the Site will be interrupted or unavailable. Benztown will use reasonable efforts to minimize such disruption where it is within its reasonable control. You agree that Benztown shall not be liable to you for any modification, suspension or discontinuance of the Site.

8. Data Retention

We generally retain Personal Information for so long as it may be relevant for the purposes identified in this Privacy Statement or at the time the information is collected, unless a longer period of time is required by law.

9. Lawful Bases for Processing Your Personal Information.

The laws in some countries require us to tell you about the lawful grounds we rely on to collect, use, disclose, and otherwise process your Personal Information. To the extent those laws apply, our lawful bases for processing your Personal Information are:

  1. To enter into and perform a contract with you: We may process Personal Information to meet our contractual obligations to you, or to take steps in anticipation of entering into a contract. For example, we process Personal Information on this basis to create an account.
  2. To comply with a legal obligation: We need to use and disclose Personal Information in certain ways to comply with our legal obligations.
  3. For our legitimate interests, where those interests are not overridden by your fundamental rights and freedoms: In many cases, we handle Personal Information because it furthers our legitimate business and charitable interests. This includes:
    • Providing a safe user experience on our Site;
    • Customer service;
    • Sending communications to you to let you know about information you have told us is important to you;
    • Protecting users, our workers, and our property;
    • Analyzing and improving our operations (e.g., optimizing the design and operation of our Site);
    • Processing job applications; and
    • Managing legal issues.
  4. With your consent: Where permitted by law, we handle Personal Information on the basis of your implied or express consent.

Also, this Privacy Statement is issued on behalf of Benztown as controller of your Personal Information under applicable data protection laws. A “controller” is the person or organization who alone or jointly determines the purposes for which, and the manner in which, any Personal Information is, or is likely to be, processed.

10. Your Data Rights and Choices.

You can unsubscribe from certain emails by clicking on the “unsubscribe” link they contain. You can opt-out of the use of certain cookie-related processing by following the instructions in Section 1(e) above (Passive Information Collection, Use, and Choices).

The laws in some countries may give you particular rights with respect to your Personal Information, including the right to access the Personal Information that we maintain, and the right to object to certain processing of Personal Information by Benztown. If you would like to submit a data access, correction, restriction, or deletion request, or if you would like to object to certain processing, you can do so by contacting us by email at mail@benztown.com and we will process such request with respect to any Personal Information that we are able to link to you individually based on the information that you can provide to us. These rights and options that you have with respect to Personal Information are subject to limitations and exceptions under applicable law. In addition to those rights, if you live in certain jurisdictions, you have the right to submit a complaint to your relevant supervisory authority. However, we encourage you to contact us first by emailing mail@benztown.com and we will try to resolve your concerns.

11. Right to Change Privacy Statement.

Benztown reserves the right at any time to modify, alter, or update this Privacy Statement. Your use of the Site following any changes means that you agree to follow and be bound by the Privacy Statement as changed, subject to limitations under applicable law. Any change to this Privacy Statement shall be effective as to any user who has visited the Site before the change was made. Please review this policy periodically, and especially before you provide any Personal Information to us. The Privacy Statement was last updated on the date indicated above.

12. Contacting Us.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Statement or our information practices. You may contact us as follows:
mail@benztown.com