LINCOLN COUNTY TELEPHONE SYSTEM - PRIVACY POLICY
Effective Date: July 15, 2010
READ THIS PRIVACY POLICY CAREFULLY BEFORE USING LCTS' WEBSITE
OUR COMMITMENT TO PRIVACY.
Lincoln County Telephone System ('LCTS') is committed to respecting the privacy rights of customers, visitors, and other users of LCTS's website (the 'Site'). We believe that when you use any of our products or services, you should understand when and how personal information is collected, used, disclosed, and protected. We created this Privacy Policy (the 'Policy') to give you information and confidence as you visit and use our Site, and to demonstrate our commitment to fair information practices and privacy protection. This Policy is only applicable to the Site, and not to other services offered by LCTS or any other website that you may be able to access from the Site. By using the Site, you are consenting to our collection and use of your personal information as described in this Policy.
WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU?
We collect information about users of our products or services in the normal course of our business, and through our Site. When you visit or browse our Site, you may provide us with personal information that can be directly associated with a specific person or entity, website use information regarding a group or category of services or customers. We may also collect information from other sources and combine it with your account information.
Personal Information. We collect information you give us when you purchase, contract for, or use a LCTS product or services. We also collect additional information when you place a call on your phone. This information is used for billing purposes so you can be appropriately charged (and, in some cases, to investigate fraudulent usages).
For example, we may collect:
Name
Address
E-mail address, content of e-mail messages, and responses
Social Security number
Driver's License number
Employer information
Credit card information
Telephone numbers
WEBSITE INFORMATION. Our web servers automatically receive certain types of information when you use our Site, for example, your domain name and IP address(es), date and time of visits, the type of browser you use, the website from which your visit originated, page visits, time spent on individual web pages, and other similar website 'traffic data.' No other personal information about you is revealed in this process. We may sometimes use the 'cookies' feature of major browser applications that allows us to store a small piece of data on your computer about your visit to the Site. We do not set any personally identifiable information in cookies. We only use cookies to collect website use information so that we can determine how to improve our Site, complete transactions you request, and track your selections in order to make appropriate recommendations about LCTS products and services. You can generally choose whether to accept cookies by changing the settings on your website browser. However, if you choose to disable this function, your experience at our Site may be diminished and some features may not work as they were intended.
INFORMATION FROM OTHER SOURCES.
We may obtain information about you from outside sources and add it to or combine it with your account information. For example, we may receive credit information when you subscribe to one of our plans. We may also use marketing information from third parties to help us better serve you, or inform you about other products or services. We sometimes receive updated delivery and address information from our shippers or other sources. We also receive information from agents from whom you purchase our products or services.
HOW DO WE USE THE PERSONAL AND WEBSITE INFORMATION THAT WE COLLECT? We use your personal and website use information in order to provide optimal customer service, engage in our business activities, and inform you about other products or services.
Use of Personal Information. We do not share your personal information with any third parties without your consent. We may use your personal information to verify your identity, check your qualifications for services, or follow up with transactions initiated on the Site. We may also use your contact information to send you additional information about LCTS. If at any time you do not wish to receive these communications, please let us know (see contact information below). When we use other agents, contractors, or companies to perform services on our behalf, we advise them that they are to protect your confidential information and not disclose such information except in limited circumstances.
USE OF WEBSITE INFORMATION.
We use aggregate information to analyze our Site' traffic, but we do not examine this information for individually identifying information. We may use anonymous IP addresses to help diagnose problems with our servers, administer our Site, or display website content according to your preferences.
USE OF INFORMATION TO PROTECT LCTS AND OTHERS.
We will disclose personal information only if required to do so by law, or in good-faith belief that we need to do so in order to (1) conform or adhere to legal requirements, (2) protect and defend the rights or property of LCTS or the users of the Site, or (3) act in case of emergency to protect the safety of the public or users of the Site.
CUSTOMER PROPRIETARY NETWORK INFORMATION (CPNI).
Under federal law, you have the right and we have the duty to ensure the confidentiality of information about your telephone usage, the types of services purchased, who you call, bill summary, and current charges. This information is sometimes referred to as 'Customer Proprietary Network Information' (or 'CPNI'). At this time, we do not disclose CPNI with persons or entities outside LCTS. Before we share your information with any person or entity other than our authorized agents (except as stated above), we will notify you of your rights under the law, describe how we intend to use the CPNI, and give you the opportunity to opt-out of such information usage.
CHILDREN'S ONLINE PRIVACY PROTECTION ACT.
Our Site is a general audience website, and we do not direct any content specifically at children under 13 years of age. We understand and are committed to respecting the sensitive nature of childrens' privacy online. We also recognize that many parents purchase products and services for family use, including use by children under 13, without our knowledge. Any information collected from such accounts would appear to us as the personal information of the subscribing adult customer, and will be treated as such under this Policy. If we make available offers and products online where a child informs us that he or she is under the age of 13, or we otherwise learn or have reason to suspect that a Site' user is under 13, we will ask a parent to confirm his/her consent in advance of further collection, use, or disclosure of personal information from that child. At any time, parents may review the personal information collected, ask to have it deleted, and refuse to allow any further collection or use of the child's information.
PRESENCE, LOCATION, AND TRACKING.
If you call 911 for emergency services, we provide your location to a public safety answering location, emergency dispatch provider, fire services, law enforcement officials, or hospital emergency or trauma care facility. The law may permit us to disclose the location of a device on our network without a user's consent to (1) a user's legal guardian or member of user's immediate family; (2) database management services or information providers solely to assist in delivering emergency services; or (3) a government entity if we reasonably believe that an emergency involving immediate danger of death or serious physical injury to any person requires disclosure without delay.
NETWORK AND INFORMATION SECURITY.
We maintain a variety of physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to prevent the loss, misuse, and alteration of the information that we obtain from you, but we cannot guarantee our ability to prevent loss, misuse, or alteration.
UPDATING THIS POLICY.
LCTS may revise, amend, or modify this Policy from time to time. Notice of any revision, amendment, or modification will be posted on LCTS's website, and/or on your start pages and/or by email and/or in mailings to your primary LCTS email account and will be effective on the date noted in the posting. This Policy may not be amended or modified by you except by means of a written document signed by both you and an authorized representative of LCTS. By continuing to use LCTS's services and products after the amendments are effective, you accept and agree to abide by them.
THIRD PARTY WEBSITE AREAS BEYOND COMPANY'S CONTROL.
The Site may contain links to other websites. If you choose to visit other websites, our Policy is no longer in effect. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of other websites, and it is your responsibility to review the privacy policies of other websites to ensure that you agree to their policies.
CONTACTING US.
If you have any questions, comments, or complaints concerning this Policy, please contact us at 775-962-5131, e-mail us at lynn@lcturbonet.com or mary@lcturbonet.com, or send any correspondence to Customer Service/Website Privacy, P.O. Box 150, Pioche, Nevada 89043. Our representatives will seek to contact you within 7 days of receiving your inquiry.
