Privacy Policy

This is the www.theproudproject.ca site.

At the The PROUD Project, we take privacy seriously.

Our postal address is:
The PROUD Project 
Department of Political Science 
Highland Hall 
1265 Military Trail 
Scarborough, Ontario 
M1C 1A4, CANADA

We can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].

The policies below are applicable to theproudproject.ca

Your privacy on the Internet is important to us. As part of the operation of thePROUDproject.ca, we gather certain types of information about The PROUD Project users, and we would like to explain the types of information we gather, what we do with it and how to correct or change the information.

Information Collected By The PROUD Project

The PROUD Project collects two types of personally identifying information from users: personal data (such as names and e-mail addresses); and aggregated data (such as information about traffic patterns on thePROUDproject.ca, for example how many users log into thePROUDproject.ca on a daily basis).

Personal Data

Personal data is collected when users provide personal data to thePROUDproject.ca, for example in registering for electronic newsletters or other membership services, in answering surveys, purchasing items from The PROUD Project, and registering for contests and other promotional opportunities provided by The PROUD Project. Also, we collect the e-mail addresses of users who post messages to our message boards and chat areas.

Aggregated Information

Aggregated information, such as which pages users access or visit and information volunteered by users, such as survey information and/or site registrations, is collected through various methods. For example, thePROUDproject.ca collects IP addresses. An IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you’re surfing the Web. Web servers, the computers that “serve up” Web pages, automatically identify your computer by its IP address, and when you request a page from thePROUDproject.ca, our servers log your IP address.

The PROUD Project does not link IP addresses to anything personally identifiable, so although your session will be logged, you will remain anonymous to us.

The PROUD Project collects IP addresses for the purposes of system administration and to provide aggregate data to advertisers about the volume of use on The PROUD Project.

Use of Cookies

ThePROUDproject.ca may also use “cookies” to collect information. A cookie is a small data file that most major Web sites write to your hard drive for record keeping purposes when you visit them. Cookies allow thePROUDproject.ca to measure activity on the Site and to improve your user experience, for example by remembering your passwords and viewing preferences, thus allowing you to visit various member-only parts of the Site without re-registering. Cookies are used by thePROUDproject.ca to measure activity on the Site and make improvements and updates based on which areas are popular and which are not. thePROUDproject.ca does not use cookies to retrieve information from your computer that was not originally sent in a cookie. Except for personal information voluntarily provided by you (i.e., during membership registration or a contest), thePROUDproject.ca does not use information transferred through cookies for any promotional or marketing purposes, nor is that information shared with any third parties whatsoever.

You may occasionally get cookies from our advertisers, which is standard in the Internet industry. The PROUD Project does not control these cookies, and these cookies are not subject to The PROUD Project’s privacy policies.

Most browsers are initially set to accept cookies. If you’d prefer, you can set yours to refuse cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent. However, it is possible that some parts of the Site, such as the member-only areas and shopping, contest and game areas, will not function properly if you do so.

Use of Information Collected by The PROUD Project

The PROUD Project uses both the personal and aggregated information we collect for multiple purposes. The information is used to improve the content of the Site, to customize the content and/or layout of the Site for each individual user and to notify users about updates to the Site or promotional offers or opportunities that we believe will be of interest to you.

The PROUD Project shares aggregated information with third parties for both advertising and promotional purposes. The PROUD Project may also share personal information with pre-screened third parties for marketing or promotional purposes. The PROUD Project will try to provide users with an opportunity to decline this service when such information is requested from you online.

The PROUD Project may also share information with consultants and affiliates for internal business purposes and may divulge personal information if such information is subpoenaed, or if The PROUD Project believes that any user has committed unlawful acts, to acts that endanger the health or safety of another user or of the general public. In some situations, we will share your personal information, on a confidential basis, with third parties who perform a particular service on our behalf, such as sending e-mails. Also, The PROUD Project may be sold or transferred to another entity. Should such an event occur, customer information will of course be one of the transferred assets.

In addition, in the event The PROUD Project plans to post any personal information on the Site, The PROUD Project will either notify you of this possibility when you provide the information and/or, if possible, when the information is posted.

Occasionally, we may post the name of a user (for example a contest winner) on one of our sites. The PROUD Project will notify you of this possibility when you provide your information or, if possible, will notify you when the information is posted.

The PROUD Project may use third party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our sites. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address or telephone number) about your visits to our sites and to other Web sites in order to provide advertisements on this site and other sites about goods and services of interest to you. In addition, The PROUD Project may share Web site usage information about visitors to our sites with such company for the purpose of managing and targeting advertisements on our sites. For this purpose, we and our third-party advertising company note some of the pages you visit on our sites through the use of pixel tags (also called clear gifs).

Children and Privacy

The PROUD Project encourages parents and guardians to spend time with their children online, and to be fully familiar with the sites visited by their children. At various places on thePROUDproject.ca, The PROUD Project may ask whether users are under the age of 18, for example when requesting personal information from users, or The PROUD Project may ask for parental consent. However, while The PROUD Project requests this information or permission, The PROUD Project relies on users to be truthful in responding to these questions.

Individuals Under 13

No information should be submitted to or posted on the Site by users under the age of 13 years without the consent of their parent or guardian. The PROUD Project does not provide any personally identifying information, regardless of its source, to any third party for any purpose whatsoever unless disclosed during collection. Users under the age of 13 are generally asked not to participate in contests or other promotional opportunities.

Individuals 13 Through 17

The PROUD Project requests that children under the age of 18 do not submit or post information to the Site without a parent or guardian’s consent. The PROUD Project may collect information, including personally identifying information, from users between the ages of 13 and 17, and with the permission of their parent or guardian this information may be used for marketing and promotional purposes by The PROUD Project and may be shared with pre-screened third parties. If a user or their parent or guardian changes their mind with respect to such use, such user, parent or guardian may stop that use — either by e-mail request or by modifying his/her registration information online as described above in “Use of Information Collected by The PROUD Project”.

Message Boards and Chat

Please remember that information posted to message boards and chat areas becomes public information. Use caution when posting. Users under the age of 18 should be especially careful not to provide any personally identifying information while using chat rooms or message boards. As set forth in The PROUD Project’s Terms and Conditions of use, users of chat rooms and message boards must follow acceptable standards of behaviour when posting messages online.

Links to Other Sites

It is important to note that thePROUDproject.ca contains links to sites other than thePROUDproject.ca, and that those sites may not follow the same privacy policies as thePROUDproject.ca. For instance, if you click on an advertisement on thePROUDproject.ca, this will take you away from thePROUDproject.ca and to an entirely different site. This can include links from advertisers, content providers and partners who may use The PROUD Project’s logo and or style as a result of a co-branding agreement. These sites may send their own cookies to you, and may collect data and make uses of it that The PROUD Project would not.

The use of any information or materials that you may access at these external sites is purely voluntary. You should not rely on their contents without independent and thorough review of the accuracy, completeness, effectiveness, timeliness and correct sequencing. These external sites may also refer to specific commercial products, processes, or services by trade name, trademark, service mark, manufacturer or otherwise. Unless The PROUD Project has provided specific authority, such references in no way indicate our endorsement, recommendation or preference. This section should be read in conjunction with the full Terms of Service, below.

Additional Information

No transmission of data over the Internet is guaranteed to be completely secure. It may be possible for third parties not under the control of The PROUD Project to intercept or access transmissions or private communications unlawfully. While we strive to protect your personal information, The PROUD Project cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us. Any such transmission is done at your own risk.

Under no circumstances, including but not limited to negligence, shall The PROUD Project be liable for any special, incidental or consequential damages that result from the use of information or materials on our sites, even if The PROUD Project or an authorized representative of The PROUD Project, has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This section also should be read in conjunction with the full Terms of Service.

USE OF THIS SITE SIGNIFIES YOUR AGREEMENT TO THE TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY.

The PROUD Project reserves the right to change this policy at any time by notifying users of the existence of a revised privacy policy. You can send e-mail to us with any further questions at [email protected].