Scope of the Privacy Policy:
This Web site is operated by BCFS System. We refer to this organization as "BCFS," "we" or "our." BCFS understands the importance of our constituents' privacy. Our Privacy Policy tells you what information we collect when you visit our website, how we use, share and protect it, what choices you have about how the information is used, and how you can access and update that information.
If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy, please do not use this Web site. This Privacy Policy applies to personally identifiable information collected on the website where this Privacy Policy is posted. Certain aspects of this Privacy Policy also apply to the personally identifiable information we collect offline. For purposes of this Privacy Policy, "personally identifiable information" means information that identifies a particular individual, such as name, postal address, e-mail address, and phone number. When other information, such as e-mail newsletter choices, BCFS Interest, etc., is directly associated with personally identifiable information, this other information also becomes personally identifiable information.
Information Collection:
Personally Identifiable Information We Collect: There are many features on this website for which no registration is required. However, if you are interested in obtaining information from BCFS, or in participating in certain activities on this website (such as participating in events), you may need to provide us with information about yourself. In addition, we may combine personally identifiable information that you have provided to us with other information that is publicly available or that we receive from other reputable sources.
Other Information Collected Through Technology: In addition to information you choose to provide to us, we also collect non-personally identifiable information through technology to make our site more interesting and useful to you. For instance, when you come to our site, we collect your Internet Protocol ("IP") address. An IP address is often associated with the portal through which you enter the Internet, like your ISP (Internet service provider). Standing alone, your IP address is not personally identifiable. At times, we also use IP addresses to collect information regarding the frequency with which our visitors visit various parts of our sites. We may combine this information with personally identifiable information that you have provided to us and/or with other information that is publicly available or that we receive from other reputable sources in order to make our website and communications more targeted to your interests.
Cookies: Our website also uses cookies. Cookies are small text files that are stored on a user's computer and allow websites to remember information about users. We use cookies for a variety of purposes in order to enhance the quality of our website. You can choose to remove cookies through your browser options. However, if you do so, your ability to use some areas of our site may be limited.
Google Analytics: Our website uses Google Analytics for tracking purposes. This provides us with information about what parts of the website you have visited. This information may be combined with information that is personally identifiable so that we can make our website, and any emails you have agreed to receive, more interesting to you.
Information Use:
BCFS may use your personally identifiable information to deliver the products and services that you request, enhance your experience on our site, provide you with informational and/or promotional materials that you might find interesting, and for internal business analysis and other business purposes consistent with this policy. These uses may generally be categorized as relationship maintenance uses and promotional uses. We describe these uses in more detail below.
Relationship Maintenance Uses - BCFS uses your personally identifiable information to maintain and manage your account, deliver services that you have requested, and generally enhance your experience on our website. Collectively, we refer to these types of uses as "Relationship Maintenance Uses," and they include all of the ways in which we use your personally identifiable information to maintain and manage our relationship with you that do not involve sending promotional materials. Examples of Relationship Maintenance Uses include, but are not limited to - Processing and tracking your e-subscriptions; Providing the services you request; Sending you administrative communications; Sending you surveys; Sending you updates to our privacy policy; Making changes to Web-based features; Promotional Uses.
BCFS may also use your personally identifiable information to provide you with promotional information about activities, services and products offered by us, including promotional material that you have requested. (However, you may opt out of receiving promotional communications from us by e-mail, as explained below and in the section entitled "Your Choices.") Examples of promotional uses include, but are not limited to: Providing you with information about educational opportunities; Providing you with promotional materials about BCFS products and services; Providing you with email newsletters. BCFS may provide you with promotional materials by postal mail, e-mail, telephone or other means. You may opt out of receiving promotional communications from us by e-mail as provided in the "Your Choices" section below. You may always opt out of receiving subsequent promotional emails by clicking on the unsubscribe link that we provide in every such promotional e-mail message. Please keep in mind, however, that when you purchase or request products or services from BCFS, promotional materials may accompany delivery of that product or service. Any opt-outs that you may make will therefore not apply to these materials because they accompany products or services that you have requested.
Information Sharing and Disclosure:
We take very seriously our responsibility to maintain your privacy with respect to your personally identifiable information. We will therefore share that information only with the following entities, and only in the manner described below.
Service Providers: BCFS contracts with other companies to provide certain services on our behalf, including credit card processing, shipping, e-mail distribution, and promotions management. We provide these companies only with the information they need to perform their services, and they are permitted to use the information only for that specific purpose or as required by law, unless any additional use or sharing of the information is separately permitted under another provision of this Privacy Policy.
Legal Purposes; Business Transactions: BCFS may disclose any user or customer information, including personally identifiable information, when we believe that doing so is required by law; may be necessary to protect the property, rights, or safety of ourselves, visitors to our Web sites, or other persons; or will help to enforce any terms of use or contest, sweepstakes, promotions, games or other rules. It may also be necessary to disclose our customers' personally identifiable information to third parties, such as credit card companies, to help resolve disputes that arise in the ordinary course of business. BCFS may also transfer user or customer information, including personally identifiable information, in connection with a corporate transaction, such as a divestiture, merger, consolidation, or asset sale. Aggregate Information (non-personally identifiable): BCFS may share with third parties aggregated information about you and other visitors to our Web site. When we do this, however, we make any personally identifiable information non-personally identifiable by combining it with information about other individuals or by removing characteristics that make the information personally identifiable to you. We share this information in order to improve our Web site and develop content and services that we hope will be of interest to you.
Your Choices: We understand the importance of protecting our customers' privacy, and we therefore provide you with the opportunity to opt-out of having your personally identifiable information used or disclosed for certain purposes. Receiving promotional communications from BCFS is optional. If you do not wish to receive promotional communications from BCFS, please call or write to us at the address below. As described elsewhere in this Privacy Policy, it is also optional to allow us to share your personally identifiable information with selected reputable third parties so that they can provide you with promotional communications. If you do not wish us to do so, please call or write to us at the address below. You may also use this address and phone number to request us to update or change any of your personally identifiable information, or to request additional information regarding our disclosure of your personally identifiable information to certain third parties for promotional purposes. Call us at (800) 830-2246. Write to us at: BCFS, 1506 Bexar Crossing, San Antonio, TX 78232, and include your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address and a note of instructions. If you have previously agreed to receive e-mail and/or e-mail newsletters from us, you may use the address and phone number above to notify us that you no longer wish to receive such e-mail and/or e-mail newsletters. Because we plan our communications in advance, it may take several weeks for your request to become effective. If, due to human error, you continue to receive our communications, please contact us again and we will make every effort to correct the situation.
Links to Other Sites: We may provide links on our Web site to other sites we think you will enjoy. These sites operate independently of BCFS and have established their own privacy and security policies. We encourage you to be aware when you leave our site and to read these policies at any site you visit.
Information Security: The security and confidentiality of your information is extremely important to us, and we take a number of steps to safeguard any personally identifiable information or credit card information that you provide to us. However, no method of transmitting or storing electronic data is ever completely secure, and therefore we cannot warrant or guarantee that such information will never be accessed, used or released in a manner that is inconsistent with this policy.
Personally Identifiable Information Contained in User Content: Some sections of our Web site may allow users to post or transmit messages, comments, screen names, computer files and other materials. BCFS does not monitor such transmissions, and therefore cannot be responsible for any personally identifiable information or other information that may be contained in such transmissions.
Children's Privacy: Our Web site is a general audience site, and we do not knowingly collect information about children. Should a child whom we know to be under 13 make known to us his or her personally identifiable information, we will use that information only to respond directly to that child to inform him or her that we must have parental consent before receiving his or her personally identifiable information.
Changes in this Privacy Policy: We may amend this Privacy Policy at any time. If we make any material changes in the way we collect, use, and/or share your personally identifiable information, we will notify you by sending you an email at the last e-mail address that you provided us and/or by prominently posting notice of the changes on the Web sites covered by this Privacy Policy. In any event, changes to this Privacy Policy may affect our use of personally identifiable information that you provided us prior to our notification to you of the changes.
Contact Us: If you have questions or wish to send us comments about this Privacy Policy, please write us at: BCFS 1506 Bexar Crossing San Antonio, Texas 78232. This policy was last updated May 19, 2009.