Last Updated on 10/20/2004.

This document sets forth the WVHTC Foundation Online Privacy Policy (the "Privacy Policy") for this web site, www.wvhtf.org (the "Site") If you have objections to the Privacy Policy, you should not access or use this Site. This Privacy Policy does not govern privacy practices associated with offline activities or other WVHTC Foundation web sites. WVHTC Foundation adheres to the European Union Safe Harbor principles as set forth by the United States Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of personal information from the European Union.

Changes in Privacy Policy
All "personal information" ("personal information") is defined as information that identifies or can be used to identify, contact or locate the person to whom such information pertains) that we collect and maintain will be subject to the version of the Privacy Policy in effect at the time of collection. WVHTC Foundation reserves the right to change the Privacy Policy at any time at its sole discretion. If, as the result of such changes, you want to alter ways in which WVHTC Foundation may use your personal information, you can follow the procedure described below in the section entitled "Updating your Personal Information and Privacy Preferences." You will be deemed to be aware of, and will be subject to, the changes to the Privacy Policy by your continued use of the Site after such changes have been made with the following exception:  if at the time you provide personal information to WVHTC Foundation you are given the opportunity to limit how information will be used, either by WVHTC Foundation or by third parties, WVHTC Foundation will not change your preferences without your express consent. However, if WVHTC Foundation sells assets to another entity or WVHTC Foundation (or a division or subsidiary) is acquired by or merged with another entity, WVHTC Foundation may provide to such entity customer information that is related to that part of our business that was sold to or merged with the other entity, without your consent.

Entities Collecting Personal Information
Personal information on this Site is collected by West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation located at 1000 Technology Drive, Suite 1000, Fairmont, WV  26554.

Collection of Personal Information
As a visitor to this Site, you can engage in many activities without providing any personal information. In connection with other activities, such as utilizing online software, WVHTC Foundation may ask you to provide information in online form. It is completely optional to engage in these activities. If you elect to engage in these activities, WVHTC Foundation may ask you to provide personal information, including name, mailing address, e-mail address, employer, job title, telephone and facsimile numbers. When ordering products or services on the Site, you may be asked to provide a credit card number. Depending upon the activity, some information that we request is identified as mandatory. If you do not provide the mandatory data for a particular activity, you will not be able to engage in that activity.

When you use the Site, WVHTC Foundation or third parties authorized by WVHTC Foundation may also collect certain technical information about your computer to facilitate your use of the Site and its services.

When you submit personal information to WVHTC Foundation through this Site, you understand and agree the information may be transferred across national boundaries and may be stored and processed in any country in which WVHTC Foundation maintains offices, including the United States. One example of transfer is in conjunction with framed pages in which the url for the pages is not visible and the pages are being hosted by a WVHTC Foundation vendor.

WVHTC Foundation has relationships with providers whose services are available from this Site or from web sites linked to this Site. In order to use those services, you may be required to provide personal information. Unless expressly provided to the contrary, personal information you provide will be subject to the privacy policy posted on such site and personal information that you provide while on this Site will be subject to this Privacy Policy. Our agreements with these service providers often provide that they will share, with WVHTC Foundation, personal information collected. In such instances, WVHTC Foundation may use this information in a manner consistent with this Privacy Policy.

In order to reduce errors in our database, authenticate our users and prevent abuse of our system we may supplement the personal information you submit to us with information from third party sources. For example, we may supplement your registration information with address information to qualify your information and prevent errors.

How your Personal Information is Used
WVHTC Foundation collects your information in order to record and support your participation in the activities you select. If you subscribe to a service or register a product, for example, the information is used to register your rights, if any, to technical support or other benefits that may be made available to registered users. Your personal information is also used to keep you informed about product upgrades, special offers, and other products and services of WVHTC Foundation and selected third parties.

WVHTC Foundation may collect information about the use of the Site; such as the types of services used and how many users we receive daily. This information is collected in aggregate form. WVHTC Foundation may use this aggregate, non-identifying statistical data for statistical analysis, marketing or similar promotional purposes.

Your Choices with Respect to Personal Information
WVHTC Foundation recognizes and appreciates the importance of responsible use of information collected on this Site.

There are other instances in which WVHTC Foundation may divulge your personal information. WVHTC Foundation may provide your personal information if necessary, in WVHTC Foundation’s™ good faith judgment, to comply with laws or regulations of a governmental or regulatory body or in response to a valid subpoena, warrant or order or to protect the rights of WVHTC Foundation or others.

Protection of Your Personal Information
The personal information that you provide in connection with registering as a user of WVHTC Foundation products or services or registering a product is classified as Registration Information. Registration Information is protected in several ways. Access by you to your Registration Information is available through a password and unique customer ID selected by you. This password is encrypted.  We recommend that you do not divulge your password to anyone. In addition, your Registration Information resides on a secure server that only selected WVHTC Foundation personnel and contractors have access to via password. WVHTC Foundation encrypts your personal information to prevent unauthorized parties from viewing such information when it is transmitted to WVHTC Foundation.

Use of Cookies
When you visit this Site, you can browse the Site and access information without revealing your identity.  We use "cookies" to track your visit. A cookie is a small amount of data transferred to your browser by a Web server and can only be read by the server that gives it. It functions as your identification card and enables WVHTC Foundation to record your passwords, purchases, and preferences. It cannot be executed as code or deliver viruses.

Most browsers are set to accept cookies. You can set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie, giving you the chance to decide whether or not to accept it. (For some Web pages that require an authorization, cookies are not optional. Users choosing not to accept cookies will probably not be able to access those pages.)

While WVHTC Foundation uses cookies to track your visit to www.wvhtf.org, and our Web servers automatically log the IP/Internet address of your computer, WVHTC Foundation does not generally use this information to identify you personally. However, if you expressly provide consent for www.wvhtf.org to "remember" the unique identifier that you select when you register for various activities on the site, that identifier will be stored on a cookie on your computer, linked to your registration information, and your navigation path around the site will be tracked. We associate this data to understand how our site and services are being used so we can understand our customers and offer appropriate products and services.

Updating Your Personal Information and Privacy Preferences
You have the right to modify your personal information and privacy preferences at any time. With respect to Registration Information, this may be accomplished by linking to your account and making changes to your personal information. You may also access and correct your personal information and privacy preferences (such as whether you wish to receive promotional communications) by email to wvhtf.org or by calling WVHTC Foundation at: 304-366-2577.

Privacy Related Inquiries and Complaints
WVHTC Foundation takes its users privacy seriously. If you believe WVHTC Foundation has not complied with this Privacy Policy or you have other related inquiries or concerns, you may contact the WVHTC Foundation Privacy Officer.  In your contact, please describe the nature of your inquiry or ways you believe the WVHTC Foundation Online Privacy Policy has not been complied with. We will investigate your inquiry or complaint promptly.

Please note that if you provide WVHTC Foundation with inconsistent privacy preferences (for example, by indicating on one occasion that third parties may contact you with marketing offers and indicating on another occasion that they may not), WVHTC Foundation cannot guarantee that your most recent privacy preference will be honored.