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PRIVACY STATEMENT

Privacy Policy

Effective: April 1, 2022

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This Privacy Policy applies to information collected by the Small Business Development Center at Lorain County Community College (Lorain County, Ohio) (“SBDC”) in connection with the services that SBDC offers.  This includes information collected online through SBDC’s website, branded pages on third-party platforms (i.e. social networking services), mobile applications, and through SBDC’s direct marketing campaigns or other online communications, as well as offline through SBDC’s representatives, events, and mobile messaging services (collectively, “SBDC Services”).    
 
This Privacy Policy explains what information may be collected through the SBDC Services, how such information may be used and/or shared with others, how SBDC safeguards it, and how you may access and control its use in connection with SBDC’s marketing communications and business activities.  By using the SBDC services, you agree to collection, use, and disclosure of your information as described in this Privacy Policy.  If you do not, please do not use the SBDC Services.    

 

QUICK GUIDE TO CONTENTS

 

1. INFORMATION COLLECTION
2. HOW WE USE THE INFORMATION COLLECTED
3. SHARING YOUR INFORMATION
4. YOUR CHOICES AND OPT-OUT
5. CHILDREN’S PRIVACY
6. SECURITY OF YOUR INFORMATION
7. OTHER SITES
8. CONSENT TO PROCESSING AND INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS
9. CHANGES AND OTHER SBDC PRIVACY POLICIES
10. CONTACT US

 

1. INFORMATION COLLECTION  

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When you access SBDC’s website, you will have the option to schedule a consultation with a member of the SBDC team but you will first have to click on a link to register before you are able to schedule a consultation.  In submitting your registration, you will be redirected to the third-party website https://clients.ohiosbdc.ohio.gov in order to input the requested registration information.  You will not be providing your registration information to the SBDC’s Website or to the SBDC branch located on the campus of Lorain County Community College in Lorain County, Ohio.  The registration information that you submit will reside on this third-party website and not on the SBDC’s website but through contractual arrangements the SBDC advisors located at Lorain County Community College will have access to the registration which you have submitted.  

  

Information You Provide Through Social Media.  You may also be given the option to link to your Facebook or other social media accounts through the SBDC Services.  When you do, SBDC may automatically receive certain information from you based upon your privacy settings on those sites.  This may include, but may not be limited to, name, username, demographic information, updated address or contact information, location, interests, and publicly-observed data, such as from social media and online activity.  

  

Information Collected Automatically.  Whenever you visit or interact with the SBDC Services, SBDC, as well as third-party advertisers and/or service providers, may use a variety of technologies that automatically or passively collect information about your online activity.  This information may be collected in the following ways:

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Usage Information:  SBDC may use cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, mobile analytics software, log files, or other technologies to collect certain information about your online activity, and interactions with our emails, online and mobile advertisements, and to allow SBDC to keep track of analytics and certain statistical information which enables SBDC to improve the SBDC Services and provide you with more relevant content and advertising offered by SBDC, or through or linked from the SBDC Services. 

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For example, SBDC may automatically or passively collect certain information from you, including your browser type, mobile device manufacturer, mobile carrier, phone number, operating system, activations, content, products or services you purchase or access, the page served and the preceding page views or websites visited, any mobile device activity and configurations, and email client.  SBDC may also automatically collect information about your use of the SBDC Services, including the date and time you visit the SBDC Services, use or click through to any of the SBDC Services, the areas or pages of the SBDC Services that you visit, the amount of time you spend viewing or using the SBDC Services, the number of times you return to the SBDC Services, other click-stream or site usage data, emails that you open, forward, or click-through to the SBDC Services, and other sites you may visit.

   

Device Information:  SBDC may automatically collect your IP address or other unique identifier (“Device Identifier”) for the computer, mobile device, tablet, or other device (collectively, “Device”) you use to access the SBDC Services, including the hardware model and mobile network information.  SBDC may use a Device Identifier to, among other things, provide the SBDC Services, help diagnose problems with our services, analyze trends, track users’ web page, email, and mobile application movements/activities, help identify or gather broad demographic information for aggregate use, and retarget online and mobile advertisements to you across computers or devices you may use.

  

Geolocation Information:  SBDC may collect information about the location of your Device when you access or use the SBDC Services.  In addition, if you choose to turn on your Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or other geolocation functionality when you use our mobile applications, SBDC may collect and use your geolocation information.   

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Third-Party Service Providers.  SBDC may use third-party service providers to support the SBDC Services, such as the State of Ohio division of the Small Business Development Center.  Some of these service providers may use technology such as cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, log files, or other technologies to receive, collect, and store information on your behalf.  

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Third-Party Analytic Technologies.  SBDC may use third-parties’ analytics and tracking tools, such as Google Analytics, Adobe Marketing Cloud Services, Facebook Custom Audience and others, to help us track, segment, and analyze usage of the SBDC Services, and to help SBDC or those third-parties serve more targeted advertising to you on the SBDC Services and across the Internet.  These tools may use technology such as cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, log files, Flash cookies, or other technologies to collect and store non-personal information.  They may also combine information they collect from your interaction with the SBDC Services with information they collect from other sources.  SBDC does not have access to, or control over, these third-parties’ use of cookies or other tracking technologies.  

 

To learn more about your advertising choices relating to the collection and use of your information, please see the Your Choices section below.  

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Information Received From Other Third-Parties.  SBDC may obtain information about you from other trusted third-party sources to update or supplement the information that you provide or that SBDC collects automatically.  This includes, for example, information from public databases or data aggregators that may include your demographic information, and media consumption.  SBDC may also receive information about you from our partners and service providers, (including, for example, business partners, analytics vendors, advertising networks, and search information providers).  

 

SBDC may use this information to help SBDC maintain the accuracy of the information SBDC collects, personalize your experience with the SBDC Services, target SBDC’s communications so that SBDC can inform you of products and services or other offers that may be of interest to you, to measure ad quality and responses, and for internal business analysis or other business purposes.    

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Combination Information.  SBDC may combine the information SBDC receives from you about you, including information you provide to SBDC and information SBDC automatically collects through the SBDC Services, as well as information collected across other computers or devices that you may use, from other online or offline sources, and from third-party sources.  This combined information may be used in any manner detailed in this Privacy Policy.  

 

2. HOW WE USE THE INFORMATION COLLECTED

SBDC may use the information about you for a variety of business purposes, including for example:

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For Customer Service and Transactional Purposes, such as to:

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  • Respond to your questions or requests and provide customer support;

  • Assist with any questions you have regarding your account and registration;

  • Troubleshoot issues, bugs, or defects related to your account or activities;

  • Provide you with access to certain features of the SBDC Services;

  • To use and disclose your credit, debit, or payment card or other financial information only to process payments and prevent fraud;

  • Contact you with regard to your use of the SBDC Services and, in our discretion, make changes to any SBDC policy;

  • Develop new products or services and to enhance current products and services; and

  • Protect the security or integrity of the SBDC Services and our business, such as by protecting against and preventing fraud, unauthorized transactions, claims and other liabilities, and managing risk exposure, including by identifying potential hackers and other unauthorized users. 

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For Commercial Purposes, such as to:

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  • Personalize and improve the SBDC Services and our products, services, offers, and advertising made available on or outside the SBDC Services (including on other sites/applications that you visit).  For example, SBDC may provide personalized or localized content, recommendations, features, and provide content or features that match your interests and preferences; 

  • Provide you with customized content, advertisements, offers, and promotions offered by SBDC or on behalf of our partners and affiliates, and provide news and other information SBDC thinks will be of interest to you on the SBDC Services, in emails, and across third-part websites;

  • Link or combine with information we receive from others to help understand your needs, use for interest-based or targeted advertising or re-targeting on your computers or other devices, and to provide you with better service; and

  • Communicate with you, either directly or through one of our partners (e.g., through Facebook Custom Audience, Google Customer Match, Twitter Match, etc.) for SBDC marketing and promotional purposes via emails, notifications, or other messages, consistent with any permissions you may have communicated to us.  

 

SBDC may also use information you provide to us for other purposes as disclosed at the time you provide your personal information or otherwise with your consent.

 

3. SHARING OF INFORMATION

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The information collected or generated through your use of the SBDC Services may be shared by you or by SBDC as described below.

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Sharing of Information by You

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The SBDC Services offer many ways to find, enjoy, and share content.

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Your activity in connection with the SBDC Services, such as filling out surveys, reviewing and rating products, inquiring about or purchasing services, participation in online communities, “liking” or “sharing” SBDC content to your social media accounts or pages or otherwise interacting with the SBDC Services, may be visible to other users of the SBDC Services and in some cases, publicly available. 

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Sharing of Information By Us

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SBDC may share the information collected from or about you for the following business purposes:

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With Our Affiliates.  SBDC may share your information with SBDC affiliated companies for internal reasons, primarily for business and operational purposes.  

 

Third-Party Service Providers.  SBDC may share your information with third-party service providers that provide business, professional, or technical support functions on our behalf.  This includes, but may not be limited to, service providers that host or operate the SBDC Services, process payment, analyze data, provide customer service, provide postal or delivery services, and administer or participate in any promotions.

 

Sweepstakes, Contests, and Promotions.  If you choose to enter into one of SBDC contests or other promotions (a “Promotion”) SBDC may disclose your information to third-parties or the public in connection with the administration of such Promotion, as required by law, as otherwise permitted by the Promotion’s official rules, or otherwise in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy.    

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Business Transfers.  In the event that the SBDC is merged into another Small Business Development Center organization, your information may be disclosed to such entity as part of the due diligence process and will be transferred to such entity as one of the transferred assets.

  

Legal Disclosures; Safety.  SBDC may transfer and disclose your information to third-parties to comply with a legal obligation, when SBDC believes in good faith that the law requires it, at the request of governmental authorities conducting an investigation, to verify or enforce this Privacy Policy or other applicable policies, to detect and protect against fraud, or any technical or security vulnerabilities, to respond to an emergency, or otherwise to protect the rights, property, safety, or security of third-parties, users of the SBDC Services, SBDC, or the public.

 

Aggregate or Anonymous Non-Personal Information.  SBDC may also share aggregate or anonymous (de-identified) information with third-parties for their marketing or analytics uses.  Such information does not contain personal information.  

 

Except as stated in this Privacy Policy, SBDC will not share your information with any third-party for any reason except that your information may be provided to another branch of the Small Business Development Center.

 

4. YOUR CHOICES AND OPT-OUT

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Certain parts of the SBDC Services require cookies.  You are free to set your browser or operating system settings to limit certain tracking or to decline cookies, but by doing so, you may not be able to use certain features through the SBDC Services or take full advantage of our offerings.  Please refer to your Web browser’s or operating system’s website or “Help” section for more information on how to delete and/or disable your browser or operating system from receiving cookies or controlling your tracking preferences.  On your mobile device, you may also adjust your privacy and advertising settings to control whether you want to receive more relevant advertising.  

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SBDC’s system will not respond to Do Not Track requests or headers from some or all browsers.  SBDC may use cookies or other technologies to deliver more relevant advertising and to link data collected across other computers or devices that you may use.

  

SBDC, or other parties we do business with, may place or recognize unique cookies or other technologies on your browser when you visit the SBDC Services to collect information about your use of the SBDC Services and your other online activities over time and across different websites and apps, and may use that information to serve interest-based advertisements to you as you browse the Internet.  To learn more about such interest-based advertising, please review the information below: 

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Access and Updates to Your Information:

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If you wish to verify, correct, or update any of your personal information, you may visit the website that you visited when registering.  

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Unsubscribing from Communications By Us:

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SBDC provides our customers with the opportunity to update their information or opt-out of having their information used for purposes not directly related to placement, processing, fulfillment, or delivery of a product order or servicing of your product.  To opt-out of marketing communications, you may:

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  • Send SBDC an email at LC3SBDC@gmail.com

  • Contract us by mail at SBDC, 151 Innovation Drive, Elyria, Ohio 44035, or 

  • Unsubscribe from SBDC’s marketing email communications at any time by unsubscribing or following the instructions contained within the email.

  

5. CHILDREN’S PRIVACY

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Protecting children’s privacy is important to us.  SBDC does not direct the SBDC Services to, nor does SBDC knowingly collect any personal information from children under the age of sixteen.  If SBDC learns that a child under the age of sixteen has provided personal information through the SBDC Services, SBDC will use reasonable efforts to remove such information from our files. 

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6. SECURITY INFORMATION

 

SBDC uses reasonable security measurers to help protect your personal information.  However, no electronic data transmission or storage of information can be guaranteed to be 100% secure.  Please note that SBDC cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us.  You use the SBDC Services and provide SBDC with your information at your own risk.  If SBDC shares information with a third-party, as detailed in this privacy policy, SBDC shall use all reasonable efforts to ensure that they keep the information secure and only use the information consistent with the terms of this Privacy Policy.  

  

7. OTHER SITES

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The SBDC Services may contain links to other sites that SBDC does not own or operate.  This includes links from service providers, fulfillment companies, advertisers, sponsors, or other business partners that may use our logo(s) as part of a co-branding agreement.  SBDC is not responsible for these sites or their content, products, services, or privacy policies or practices.  These other web sites may send their own cookies to your Device, they may independently collect data or solicit personal information, and may or may not have their own published privacy policies.  You should also independently assess the authenticity of any site which appears or claims that it is one of the SBDC Services (including those linked to through an email or social network page).  

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8. CONSENT TO PROCESSING AND INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS

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SBDC or SBDC’s service providers, may process, transfer, and store information about our users on servers located in a number of countries, including the United States.  As a result, your personal information may be subject to data protection and other laws that may differ from your country of residence.  Your personal information may be disclosed in response to inquiries or requests from government authorities or to respond to judicial process in the United States of America.  By using the SBDC Services, or by providing us with any information, you consent to the collection, processing, maintenance, and transfer of such information in and to the United States and other applicable territories in which the privacy laws may not be as comprehensive as, or equivalent to, those here in the United States of America.

  

9. CHANGES AND OTHER SBDC PRIVACY POLICIES

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Any changes SBDC may makes to this Privacy Policy will be posted on this page.  Please check back frequently to see any updates or changes to our Privacy Policy.  If you do not agree or consent to these updates or changes, do not continue to use the SBDC Services.  If SBDC makes a material change to this Privacy Policy, SBDC will provide appropriate notice to you.

  

In addition to this Privacy Policy, there may be specific campaigns or promotions which will be governed by additional privacy terms or policies.  SBDC encourages you to read these additional terms or policies before participating in any such campaigns or promotions as you will be required to comply with them if you participate.  Any additional privacy terms or policies will be made prominently available to you.

 

10. CONTACT US

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If you have any questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact SBDC at:  

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SBDC

151 Innovation Drive

Elyria, Ohio 44035

LC3SBDC@gmail.com

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