Protection and respect of your privacy on Autos.ca

Autos.ca respects the concerns you may have with respect to the collection and circulation of personal information and we feel it is important that you fully understand the type of information we collect from you when you visit our Web site, why we collect that information, its intended use, and your ability to tell us what information we’re allowed to collect and how it can be used. Please read the following sections carefully, and feel free to contact us if you have any concerns about what is being said and any omissions you feel should be part of this section. We also strongly suggest you refer to this section periodically for changes or updates.

Autos.ca does not collect any personal information or share any information without your prior consent.

The collection and processing of personal information

Why is personal information collected?

The collection of personal information allows Autos.ca to provide services you have requested, such as a subscription to our newsletter, or if you win one of our contests, it allows us to reach you and arrange for prize pick-up or delivery. It also allows us to send you by e-mail, at times and under circumstances dictated by you, information you had previously requested or approved.

If information is ever requested for any other purpose, you will be notified by e-mail when such information is requested and explicitly informed of its intended use. You will, of course, have to grant permission for that information to be shared.

When and how is personal information collected?

The collection and processing of personal information takes place under very precise conditions and at specific times. When subscribing to our newsletter, you are asked to provide Autos.ca with a name and e-mail address through an online form. You can change this information at any time or request to be removed from the newsletter list at any time. The names and e-mail addresses collected for the purpose of mailing the newsletter will not be used for any other purpose and will not be shared with any one. The newsletter will, from time to time, contain advertising or messages from sponsors, but the list of names and addresses will not be shared with advertisers or sponsors without your explicit consent.

Autos also collects personal information while conducting occasional contests and surveys. Names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses are collected through an online form to prevent abuse and to contact a contest winner in order to deliver the contest prize. You may also be asked to provide additional information that helps us to understand who our audience is and how we can better serve them. However, none of this information can be used to identify individuals. Only with your explicit agreement and permission will your e-mail address be provided to the sponsor of the contest. Information collected in a contest or survey will not be provided to any other third party without your explicit consent.

The information you provide to Autos.ca is collected through an online form and stored in a database by Autos.ca. It is used strictly for the purpose intended and will never be used to send you unsolicited materials from Autos.ca, a contest sponsor or any other party, without your expressed consent at the time you submit the form.

It should be noted, though, that Autos.ca contains links to third-party Web sites, provided solely for viewers’ convenience, outside Autos.ca. Autos.ca has no control over these third-party sites and does not accept liability for these sites at any time. Consequently, personal information you provide to a Web site outside Autos.ca is subject to the privacy protection policies of that site and not those of Autos.ca. Therefore, Autos.ca cannot be held responsible at any time, in the event of abuse by such sites. We strongly urge you to familiarize yourself with the privacy protection policies of all third-party sites you choose to enter.

In addition, there are risks associated with the supplying of personal information in a forum. In all cases, these are not covered by the privacy protection policy of Autos.ca since it is up to the individual to decide if and to whom this information is supplied. Thus, you should exercise the utmost caution in supplying personal information through these means, and you do so at your own risk. Information supplied in this manner may be collected by third parties without your expressed consent, and used at their discretion. In other words, if you choose to provide personal information online and the general public can access this information, you may receive unsolicited materials from third parties. Autos.ca declines all responsibility in this regard, and urges you to remain cautious and vigilant in your online dealings.

Also, please see the section on “cookies” further down.

Who has access to information collected by Autos.ca?

Personal information collected by Autos.ca is used for the sole purpose of offering you relevant content and services based on your indicated preferences.

Your personal information stays exclusively within Autos.ca and is, at no time, shared with clients, partners, sponsors or other outside parties, without your explicit prior consent. And at any time, you can request Autos.ca to end its use or planned use of your personal information.

Contrary to the above, Autos.ca may disclose your personal information upon request by a legal authority or in good faith when such action is deemed necessary in order to:

• abide by applicable laws or regulations or to intervene in a lawsuit against Autos.ca;
• protect or defend the legal or property rights of Autos.ca; or
• under extreme circumstances, protect the personal safety of Autos.ca users or the safety of the general public.

How Autos.ca protects your personal information

Your personal information can only be accessed by Autos.ca and all personal information collected is stored in server sectors that are inaccessible to the public, for protection against its loss or unauthorized use. To further this protection, Autos.ca servers are equipped with firewall technology. Despite these measures, and given that no technology is completely foolproof, there will always remain a certain amount of risk that your personal information may be disclosed, without your consent, unintentionally and without fault on the part of Autos.ca. Autos.ca declines any responsibility in the event that such confidential information is disclosed, unless caused by negligence on the part of Autos.ca.

Protection of children on the Internet

Children are increasingly using the Internet and discovering its many advantages. However, as is the case in many other environments, their greater vulnerability usually makes them easier targets for crime and exploitation. We urge you to monitor the Internet use of your children and provide them with guidance on security and recommendations based on common sense. Such measures will often prevent your children from being exposed to offensive content, or from becoming victims of harassment or other criminal acts.

Autos.ca urges you, as a parent, to exercise a reasonable amount of supervision of Internet use by your children. They should be taught to never give out personal information, such as name, address or phone number, on any Internet forum or chat room. They should also be encouraged to share their concerns with you in the event they receive disturbing or provocative messages.

These recommendations will help your children use the Internet in an informed fashion and allow them to fully benefit from the learning and development possibilities that exist online.

Advertising served by third parties

We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you
visit our website. These companies may use information about your visits to this and other websites in order to
provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. The information collected does NOT include your name, address, email address or telephone number. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.

“Cookies”

The use of cookies on the Web has become standard practice and most Internet browsers accept them by default. You may, at any time, change your browser preferences to disallow the use of cookies (however, in so doing, you may be unable to access the full features of certain sites) or delete some or all of the ones your browser has stored.

What is a cookie?

“Cookies” are little bits of information sent to your computer when you visit a Web site. They are saved, either temporarily or permanently, on your hard drive, leaving a trace of your passage. In many cases, a “cookie” allows you to navigate through a site without having to enter the same information continuously. “Cookies” are harmless and can be deleted at any time by you. If you return to a site that needs that “cookie”, a new one will be set at that time.

The information in a “cookie” can include such things as the date and time of your last visit, a given answer to an online question, your location (usually by postal code), personal information, etc.

The use of cookies on Autos.ca

Autos.ca uses cookies in two ways – (1) to limit the display of certain kinds of advertising that might otherwise be intrusive and (2) to prevent the submission of multiple contest entries.

The information cannot be used to identify a visitor. Should Autos.ca determine that a cookie be used for any other purpose, this Privacy Policy will be updated.

We hope this information has provided you with a better understanding of our strict privacy protection policies. Please note that Autos.ca reserves the right to modify these policies at any time. Thus, we invite you to periodically consult this section for possible updates and changes.