This Privacy Policy is designed to inform you as to how we at ThrivingLocally collect, process, and use your personal information. The Privacy Statement further extends the Terms of Use for Users

of the internet platform of ThrivingLocally.

By consenting to this Privacy Policy you agree to the collection, processing and use of your personal information according to the provisions described here.

This Privacy Statement describes the collection and use of personal data during your visit to our website and your use of the services of ThrivingLocally. It also applies to any purchases of goods, services, or vouchers as well as any participation in prize draws or other competitions held by ThrivingLocally itself. For our other categories or services (e.g. advertising campaigns, communities, reviews), further data protection information can be found in the respective FAQs as well as in the descriptions or conditions of the relevant service.

The data protection provisions of external services such as social networks (e.g. facebook, Google+, Pinterest), which you may use during your visit to ThrivingLocally, also apply.

 

  1. Collection and use of data without registration
    1. You may visit ThrivingLocally without telling us any personal information. If you access our website, communications related information (e.g. internet protocol address) or usage related information (e.g. content viewed) is automatically generated using technical means to enable you to view the relevant content. This data is only stored and used by us in such a way as not to identify a specific person (e.g. IP address stored in anonymous form). We use this data to generate technical or static information for resolving defects, for improving the website or for research and analysis purposes.
  2. Consent for the use of personal data when using ThrivingLocally
    1. We require certain information in order to provide you with the services we offer:
      1. When you register with us, we collect Core Data (username, first name and surname, address, email address, password). Your username may be a pseudonym under which you present yourself to third parties whilst using our services. If you decide to order something through ThrivingLocally, we then also collect your billing address and delivery address. If you intend to sell products through ThrivingLocally, we also collect your full address, your shop and company name (where applicable), your seller type (private or professional), your terms and conditions and imprint, as well as your bank account details and other payment information.
      2. We also collect the relevant Usage and Transaction Information in relation to the individual listings on ThrivingLocally (buy, sell, offers and content).
      3. Furthermore, registered members are free to supply additional optional information (e.g. shop description, profile description, personal interests or preferences, photographs (e.g. profile picture), date of birth and other biographical information, settings for notifications or newsletters, products which you have or have been recommended or added to your favorites, messages, blog entries, forum posts, ratings, comments, responses to surveys etc.). Please note that the additional information which you provide in your profile is also visible for other members and visitors to the site.  You may update or remove your optional information at any time. All information which you provide in order to promote your goods or services is, of course, visible to other members and visitors to the site.
    2. We use your personal data (core data, usage and transaction data, optional information), collected in connection with ThrivingLocally, in order to provide for you and other members a marketplace for great local products and services and a community for exchanging ideas and inspiring one another to shop local. The specific ways in which we use your personal information include:
      1. to find out who you and other members are,
      2. to provide and personalize the services you wish to use, e.g. so that you can conclude sales agreements via ThrivingLocally,
      3. to enable payments through the merchant services,
      4. to calculate and collect fees,
      5. to purchase and redeem ThrivingLocally gift certificate and loyalty points,
      6. to use the rating system, to reply to your enquiries or to inform you about particular events,
      7. to give you an overview of your profile and ThrivingLocally activities within “My ThrivingLocally” (e.g. messages, purchases, events, seminars, favorite and followed products and services and shops) and allow you to take part in communities or groups,
      8. to enable you to communicate with other members (e.g. through messages or liking products and services and shops) or third parties (e.g. through recommendations, comments),
      9. to enable other members to find out more about you (e.g. under “About Me”),
      10. to combat and prevent illegal or improper activities.
      11. we only use your email address for the purposes specified by you (e.g. membership related notifications, emails on shipping status, notifications of purchases and sales, new messages or comments). You can view and change your settings related to notifications and newsletters within the “My Profile” section.
      12. We do not disclose your personal information to third parties unless you have given your prior consent or unless such disclosure is allowed or required under law. We disclose personal information to other members of ThrivingLocally, for example the other party to a purchase (in this case contact information, postal address, payment information). Such information related to other members may only be used for the required communication in relation to ThrivingLocally (e.g. to make a purchase or send a complaint). In particular, you may not use other members’ information for advertising purposes unless the member in question has expressly agreed to this. Members are also obligated to observe all statutory data protection requirements. If a member makes his or her personal information available to another member, we are not able to guarantee the protection of this information. Therefore, please consider carefully whether you wish to trust the other member and whether he or she actually requires the information before revealing it.
      13. We may pass on information to external service providers who are under contract to us to provide technical services (e.g. hosting, maintenance) or who support us in other ways (e.g. debt collection, customer service). In doing so, we ensure we comply with all data protection requirements under law and oblige our partners to do the same. You agree that in this context data may also be stored at locations in countries outside Canada, under the condition that these locations also provide an appropriate level of protection and that the transmission is not otherwise contrary to your protectable interests.
      14. ThrivingLocally is obligated to disclose personal information and/or usage data to law enforcement, investigating authorities and other regulatory bodies if this is required for the prevention of danger to public safety and the prosecution of crimes under the law.
      15. In order to protect our legitimate interests, we may obtain a credit report on you and/or verify your personal information through a credit card company. We also reserve the right to request a bank reference or guarantee from you or to request that you provide credit card details as well as a security deposit by credit card before you may offer for sale or purchase high-price goods/services at ThrivingLocally. We shall, of course, observe your entitlement to protection according to the statutory requirements.
  3. Cookies without connection to online advertising
    1. When you visit our website, we store information on your computer in the form of a “cookie” which is automatically recognized the next time you visit ThrivingLocally. A cookie is a short text file which is transmitted as a hypertext transfer protocol header. The cookie is either sent from the web server to the browser or generated through scripting (e.g. JavaScript). Cookies allow us, for example, to tailor a website to your interests or to store your password so that you do not have to enter it every time. If you do not want us to recognize your computer in this way, you can adjust your internet browser settings so that your computer erases cookies from your computer, blocks all cookies or warns you before a cookie is stored. Altering the cookie settings can, however, lead to you no longer being able to use the full functionality and shopping experience of ThrivingLocally.
    2. ThrivingLocally uses the following cookies without any connection to online advertising:
      1. Session Cookies (e.g. for “login automatically”)
      2. Vanity Cookies (ThrivingLocally records the content which a user views during a function test)
      3. Language Cookies (ThrivingLocally uses these to store the language settings of the browser used to access the ThrivingLocally websites.).
  4. Facebook
    1. We use some services of the social network, facebook, on our platform. For example, we have installed the facebook “Like button” (a so-called plug-in). That means we have integrated the “Like button” into our website using program code made available by facebook. Information is sent to facebook at the point when a website is viewed, irrespective of whether the user clicks on the “Like button” or not. If the user clicks the “Like button”, facebook then learns that the user likes the respective content. If the user is logged in to facebook at the time, then he or she can be identified by facebook (e.g. for advertising on facebook). Facebook does not reveal in its current privacy policy precisely what information it collects and retains. We therefore recommend you refrain from using the “Like button” if you are unsure.
    2. ThrivingLocally also offers the function “Login with facebook” so that you can register at ThrivingLocally using your facebook login information. We assume that you protect your facebook login information just as carefully as your ThrivingLocally password. We do not receive the password which you use for your facebook login as it is encrypted.
    3. If you are a facebook member, but do not want facebook to collect data about you through your ThrivingLocally internet presence and connect it to your data saved on facebook you must log out of facebook before visiting ThrivingLocally.
  5. Other plug-ins and external services
    1. Our websites may also contain other so-called plug-ins. Each provider (e.g. Twitter, Google, Pinterest) is responsible for its respective plug-in. We therefore, just as in the case of the facebook plug-in, have no influence over the extent of data collected by the provider with the help of its plug-in or how the provider uses it.
    2. If you are not yet a customer of the provider of the plug-in or of the external service linked via the plug-in, i.e. you have not consented to its collecting or using data, we recommend you do not use or click on such plug-ins.
    3. If you are, however, already a user of the services linked via plug-in, you should find out about the type, scope and purposes of collection and use of personal information directly from the respective provider as well as about whether they process your information outside of Canada.
  6. Google Analytics
    1. ThrivingLocally works with “Google Analytics”: Google Analytics is a web analytics service provided by Google Inc. (“Google”).
      1. This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses “cookies”, which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website analyze how you use the site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will usually be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity for website operators and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. You may also prevent the collection and processing of data generated by the cookie, based on your use of the website (including your IP address), by Google by installing the browser plug-in available at the following address http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en
  7. Consent to the use of data for own advertising purposes or own market research by ThrivingLocally
    1. By visiting ThrivingLocally you consent to our collecting, processing and using your personal information also for the purposes of our own advertising or market research but especially to tailor the design of the goods and services offered on the ThrivingLocally site. We can also collect, collate and use your data together with other members’ data in order to improve our services, sites and advertising.
  8. Consent to receive the ThrivingLocally newsletter
    1. 8.1.  Unless specified otherwise, you agree to receive the ThrivingLocally newsletter with content chosen by us, at the email address provided. The ThrivingLocally newsletter may be regularly or irregularly distributed and contain information about ThrivingLocally, advertising for ThrivingLocally or special offers from either ThrivingLocally or third parties.
    2. You can cancel the newsletter at any time using a link in the newsletter.
  9. Consent to the use of product feeds
    1. You agree that we may disclose your sales information (e.g. shop name, information and images relating to products offered) to third parties (e.g. affiliate networks, affiliate partners, platforms) so that your offering may be advertised there and presented to potential interested parties.
  10. Consent to targeted advertising and the use of tracking cookies for advertising purposes
    1. You agree that we may display targeted advertising on our website or set tracking or partner cookies or let tracking or partner cookies be set which enable targeted advertising to be displayed in your browser, for example related to your age group, place of residence or products you have viewed, recommended, bought or sold (so-called retargeting). We do not, however, disclose your personal information to the advertiser when you see such advertising; IP addresses are abbreviated accordingly.
  11. Consent to use of Google AdSense
    1. You consent to ThrivingLocally’s use of Google AdSense.
    2. AdSense is a service for the integration of advertisements provided by Google. Google AdSense uses cookies (i.e. text files) which are stored on your computer and enable an analysis of the use of the website. Google AdSense also uses so-called web beacons (invisible graphics). Through these web beacons, information such as visitor traffic on these sites can be evaluated.
    3. The information generated by the cookies and web beacons, about the use of this website (including the member’s IP addresses) and the serving of advertising formats, is transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there. This information can be disclosed by Google to their contracting partners. Google will not, however, associate your IP address with any other data held by Google.
    4. You can prevent the installation of cookies using the relevant settings within your browser; please note, however, that you might not then be able to use the full functionality of this website.
    5. Further information on data protection at Google can be found at http://www.google.com/intl/en/privacy/ads/
  12. Access to information, deletion and blocking of data
    1. You can view, update and delete your information and settings within “My ThrivingLocally” under “My Profile”. However, first name and last name can only be altered through our customer services.
    2. ThrivingLocally will also disclose information we have stored about a person on request of that person, electronically or in writing if so desired. Before providing such information, we are entitled to insist on the provision of documents proving the identity of the enquiring party.
    3. The blocking and deletion of data is undertaken according to statutory requirements.
  13. Protection of your information and security measures
    1. We employ standard security measures, including encryption, passwords and physical safeguards in order to protect your personal information against unauthorized access and publication as well as to prevent unsolicited communication (spam). The information on your profile is stored on a secure server, protected by a firewall. If you provide sensitive information (e.g. credit card number or password in the appropriate fields), we encrypt this information with the help of socket layer technology (SSL).
  14. Revocation of consent, objection to advertising, market research or opinion research
  15. Where the use of personal data requires your consent, you may revoke this consent at any time with effect for future use. You may notify us of your revocation by email sent to admin@ThrivingLocally.com. The revocation of consent may lead to services no longer being available or the contractual relationship being terminated by ThrivingLocally. We reserve the right to justify data protection related actions on the basis of statutory requirements.
    1. Please note also that you may object at any time to the use of your information for advertising purposes, for market research or for opinion research – most simply by sending an email to admin@ThrivingLocally.com. There is no cost for this beyond the normal sending costs according to basic rates. We will advise you of this possibility of objection whenever we use your information in this way, or provide a simple cancellation option (e.g. as a link).
  16. Alterations
    1. In the course of technical advancements, we will continuously update our Privacy Policy accordingly. We will publish any alterations in advance on this page and where necessary request your consent once more. Irrespective of that it is advisable to regularly consult this page to find out about the most up to date data protection information.
    2. Members will be notified of any alterations or additional terms and these will come into effect as soon as they are accepted. Should you not accept the alterations, ThrivingLocally is entitled to terminate the user relationship.

End of document

Effective Date: April 01, 2014.

ThrivingLocally reserves the right to alter these policies at any time.