TeamStart Privacy Policy

Personal Information and PIPEDA  

TeamStart is committed to complying with Canada 's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).  

Under PIPEDA, personal information must be:  
. collected with consent and for a reasonable purpose,  
. used and disclosed for the limited purpose for which it was collected,
. accurate,
. accessible for inspection and correction,
. and stored securely.    

PIPEDA defines personal information as "information about an identifiable individual" that includes any factual or subjective information, recorded or not, in any form. Note PIPEDA requires that the personal information may only be collected, used or disclosed for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances.    

As part of our commitment, Teamstart has adopted the following Ten Privacy Principles developed by the Canadian Standards Association.

  Principle 1 - TeamStart is responsible for maintaining and protecting the personal information under its control. TeamStart has designated individuals who are accountable for compliance with the Ten Privacy Principles

  Principle 2 - TeamStart will identify why personal information is being collected before or at the time the information is collected.

  Principle 3 - Consent is required for the collection, use or disclosure of personal information except where required or permitted by law.

  Principle 4 - Personal information collected will be limited to those details necessary for the purposes identified by TeamStart.

  Principle 5 - Personal information will only be used or disclosed for the purpose for which it was collected unless you have otherwise consented, or when it is required or permitted by law. Personal information will only be retained for the period of time required to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected or as required by law.

  Principle 6 - Personal information will be maintained in as accurate, complete and up-to-date form as is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it is to be used.

  Principle 7 - Security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity level of the information will be used to protect personal information.

  Principle 8 - TeamStart will make information available to users concerning policies and practices that apply to the management of their personal information.

  Principle 9 - Upon request, a customer shall be informed of the existence, use and disclosure of their personal information, and shall be given access to it. Customers may verify the accuracy and completeness of their personal information, and may request that it be amended, if appropriate.

  Principle 10 - Customers may direct any questions or enquiries with respect to the privacy principles outlined above or about our practices by contacting: privacyofficer@teamstart.com  

We will endeavour to respond within an appropriate timeframe.   If you have questions or concerns regarding our organization's privacy policy and practices, you should first contact us directly. If you do not receive acknowledgment of your inquiry or your inquiry has not been satisfactorily addressed, you should then contact the Privacy Commissioner's Office at http://www.privcom.gc.ca (or 112 Kent Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 1H3), who will then act on your behalf to resolve your concerns.

What Information is Collected and Why? 

At TeamStart, we gather and use personal information from three classes of users, Entrepreneurs, Partner\Mentors and ArchiveSoftware users. This is done at the time of registration. In some instances, TeamStart may also maintain a file containing contact history that is used for inquiry purposes.  We may also, with your consent, gather personal information from you in person, over the telephone or by corresponding with you via mail, facsimile, the Internet, or via our Partners and Mentors

The choice to provide us with personal information is always yours, and all personal information we collect comes to us directly from you. Please be advised that withholding particular details may limit our ability to provide you with appropriate resources and services. You are welcome to browse the TeamStart web site at any time anonymously and privately, though certain functionality may be restricted in this case.

In the case of Mentor Forum registration, mandatory information we collect from Entrepreneurs is a user name and your email address, while the following information is optional:

.Name
.City
.Country
.Occupation
.Brief biography, hobbies, news and preferences

The mandatory information is required to properly register and use the forums, while the optional information is used to help TeamStart know you better in order to help you build and grow your business.

In the case of Mentor Forum registration, mandatory information we collect from Mentors and Partners is all that is required and optional for Entrepreneurs, except for hobbies, news, and preferences. The mandatory information is required and used to verify the identity, credentials and experience of Mentors and Partners and to help build regional economic development networks.

In the case of Archive Software user registration, we collect, and share with SYCON GMBH, owner of the software engine, the following information.

.Email address
.Name
.Address
.City
.Country

This information is required to code the registration key that unlocks the full software functionality, and keep users apprised of software developments:

In the case of registration to receive our newsletter, Entreprenant!, we require your email address in order to send it to you.

We routinely collect anonymous, non-personal information. This is information that we do not associate with or trace back to a specific individual or business entity. For example, our web servers collect some anonymous, non-personal information automatically when you visit the TeamStart web site. Gathered electronically, this information may include the pages you visited, the type of web browser you are using, the level of encryption your browser supports and your Internet Protocol address. The anonymous, non-personal information collected may be used for research and analytical purposes and occasionally for security investigations.

How Your Information is Used

We use personal information to communicate with you, process registrations, send you important notices, respond to any special needs or enquiries you may have, and to ultimately provide you with appropriate services and resources.

In the case where Entrepreneurs voluntarily provide optional information, it will be available for public viewing by other registered Mentor Forum registrants, and will be used by Mentors and Partners and TeamStart to gain a better understanding of the Entrepreneur. Information may be aggregated and used by Teamstart to develop its resources and operations to better serve its users, and to develop polls and economic policy statements.

In the ordinary course of our business and activities, employees and partners and mentors may have access to some or all information about a particular person or persons. As a condition of their employment, or in the case of Mentors and Partners their association with TeamStart, they are required to abide by our privacy standards, work within the principles of ethical behaviour as set out in our Code of Conduct, and must follow all applicable laws and regulations

We only use personal information for the purposes that we have disclosed. If for any reason your information is required to fulfill a different purpose, we will obtain your consent before we proceed.

There are two exceptions to this. One is when we are required by law to disclose information to authorities acting under applicable laws, for example, in the course of a criminal investigation or according to government regulations. Another is where we are legally permitted to disclose personal information such as ensuring the legitimacy of users, qualifications of Mentors, or investigate illegal activities or activities contrary to our website policies and\or various user agreements. Whenever we believe we may legally disclose information, we will ensure our belief is supported by legislation and appropriate professional opinion.    

The anonymous, non-personal information gathered from the TeamStart web site is used primarily for technical, research and analytical purposes like evaluating the various sections of the web site. This information does not include any personal information and it is only retained until its intended purpose is fulfilled

How We Safeguard Your Information

Employees, Mentors and Partners, and registrants are informed about the importance of privacy and are required to agree to a code of conduct that prohibits the disclosure or unauthorized use of any personal customer information to unauthorized individuals or parties. TeamStart’s software partner SYCON GMBH, a German company, administers the software registration database, and has voluntarily agreed to be bound by TeamStart’s privacy policies.

We use state-of-the-art technologies and maintain current security standards to ensure that your personal information is protected against unauthorized access, disclosure, inappropriate alteration or misuse. All safety and security measures are also appropriate to the sensitivity level of your information. Our server environment is operated by a highly reputable, experienced service provider and we believe it is managed appropriately and our firewall infrastructure is strictly adhered to.

To safeguard against unauthorized access to your user accounts, you are required to "sign-on" using a user id and a password to certain secured areas of the TeamStart web site. Both user id and password are encrypted when sent over the Internet. If you are unable to provide the correct password, you will not be able to access these sections.  

We do our utmost to protect and safeguard your personal and financial information. We believe there are measures you should take as well. The following is a list of things you can do to protect yourself against fraud and uninvited intrusion.

Passwords

Passwords are necessary to identify you and authenticate your permission to access certain TeamStart resources. The passwords you use are encrypted. Encryption is presently the most effective way to achieve data security. Just as it is important for us to employ strict procedures to safeguard your information, you also should take precautions in handling your passwords. When selecting a password, we suggest that you use a combination of letters and numbers and upper and lower case, and do not use words that can be easily associated with you such as the name of a family member, a pet or the street on which you live. We also suggest that you change your password regularly

Personal Information

You should not share personal information with others unless you clearly understand the purpose of their request and you know who you are dealing with.   Your Online Security To make sure your connection to the protected areas of the TeamStart web site is secure, look for either a 'closed lock' or an 'unbroken key' icon located at the bottom right hand side of your browser's task bar. You may also check the Address bar to determine if SSL (Secure Socket Layer) is active by looking at the beginning of the address. If it starts with "https" rather than the standard "http", then SSL is operating.

Accessing and Amending Your Information

At TeamStart, certain decisions are made based on the information we have. Therefore, it is important that your personal information is accurate and complete. In addition, you have the right to access, verify, amend and delete information held by us at any time. In the case of Mentor Forum registration, this can be done on line via your profile. Deleting required information here has the effect of cancelling registration and terminating your ability to participate. In the case of any other information you wish to access, verify, delete or amend, please email us at privacyofficer@teamstart.com  

About Cookies

A cookie is a small text file containing a unique identification number that a web site sends to your computer's web browser. While you visit a particular part of our site, a cookie may be used to track the activities of your browser as well as provide you with a consistent, more efficient experience.

There are two common types of cookies: persistent and non-persistent.

Persistent cookies are stored on your computer's hard drive where they remain resident until they are either deleted or they reach a predetermined expiration date. Persistent cookies are most commonly used to provide visitors with a customized experience by recording preferences such as how a visitor prefers to have web pages displayed. Additionally, cookies are commonly used to gather statistical information such as the average time spent on a particular page. This kind of information is valuable for several reasons, including providing insight on how to improve the design, content and navigation of a web site.

Non-persistent cookies do not permanently record data and they are not stored on your computer's hard drive. Rather, non-persistent cookies are stored in memory and are only available during an active session. Once a session ends, the cookie disappears. Non-persistent cookies are used primarily for technical reasons such as providing seamless navigation and providing a uniform experience. Cookies cannot view or retrieve data from other cookies, nor can they capture files and data stored on your computer

Cookies and TeamStart

The first time you visit TeamStart, you will be sent a cookie that contains a unique identification number that can be easily retrieved during future visits. When you subsequently type our web site address in the address bar of your browser, your browser will contact TeamStart and request its home page. The browser will search your hard drive for a cookie that may have been sent during a previous visit. If a cookie is found, the browser will send any information gathered from a previous visit to the web server. If a cookie is not found, then the browser will know you have not visited the site before. Our Mentor Forum also uses cookies.

On the TeamStart web site, cookies are used to increase robustness, provide more efficient navigation, provide website statistics, maintain connectivity and ensure online service sessions meet modern standards of experience, comfort, and reliability. They do not contain or collect personal information, track your activities beyond our website, or transfer executable code or programs.

If you would like to browse the TeamStart web site, you may do so without accepting cookies. If you prefer not to accept cookies, you may adjust your browser settings to alert you when a cookie is about to be sent, or you may configure your browser to refuse cookies automatically. Please be advised that if you choose not to accept cookies, some areas of the TeamStart web site may not function properly or at all. If you would like to learn more about how to set your cookie options, please refer to your browser's documentation or online help for instructions.

Questions, Concerns and Complaints

If you have a question about the privacy policies stated on this site, please email us at privacyofficer@teamstart.com.  Should your question, concern or complaint not be resolved in a reasonable time, you have the option to contact the Privacy Commissioner's Office at http://www.privcom.gc.ca (or 112 Kent Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 1H3), who will then represent you as a liaison with TeamStart.

Before TeamStart is able to provide you with any information or correct any inaccuracies, however, we may ask you to verify your identity and to provide other details to help us to respond to your request. We will endeavour to respond within an appropriate timeframe.

Updating this Privacy Policy  

Any changes to our privacy policy and information handling practices will be acknowledged in this policy in a timely manner. We may add, modify or remove portions of this policy when we feel it is appropriate to do so. You may determine when this policy was last updated by referring to the modification date found at the bottom of this privacy policy.

Web Sites Governed by this Privacy Policy  

The web site that is governed by the provisions and practices stated in this privacy policy is: http://www.TeamStart.com. The TeamStart web site contains links to other third party sites that are not governed by this privacy policy. Although we endeavour to only link to sites with high privacy standards, our privacy policy will no longer apply once you leave the TeamStart web site. Additionally, we are not responsible for the privacy practices employed by other third party web sites. Therefore, we suggest that you examine the privacy statements of those sites to learn how your information may be collected, used, shared and disclosed.

REVISED OCTOBER 1 2004

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