Last updated: May 11, 2017

Western respects your privacy and has developed this Privacy Policy to explain how it collects, uses and discloses your Personal Information as such pertains to your use of its WORLDiscoveries website. We adopt the definition of Personal Information as defined in the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Ontario) (“FIPPA”).

Western may make changes to the Privacy Policy from time to time. A link to the most current Privacy Policy will be available on Western’s WORLDiscoveries home page (the “Website”). In the event of significant changes to the Privacy Policy, we may also place a special notice on the Website or provide other notifications to you. Your continued use of the Website following the posting of such changes constitutes your acceptance of any such changes. If you do not agree with this Privacy Policy or any revised versions thereof, you may not use the Website.

Consent

By using the Website, you consent to Western’s use of your Personal Information as described in this Privacy Policy. Except as this Privacy Policy outlines, your Personal Information will not be used for any other purpose without your consent. Western will not actively collect Personal Information for sale or marketing in a way that specifically identifies the individual and does not sell customer lists.

Collection of Personal Information

Western intends to collect, use and disclose only such Information as is required to enable it to provide Information and advertising services, understand its users’ needs, respond to inquiries for identification and authentication purposes, and service improvement. Western also collects aggregate Information, such as demographic statistics of its users (e.g. geographical allocation of its users), number of visitors, what pages users access or visit, and average time spent on the Website. Western does not consider this information Personal Information as it does not identify the individual. Business contact information such as the name, title, business address, e-mail address, or telephone number of a business or professional person or an employee of an organization is not considered Personal Information.

Use of Information

We collect Information for the following purposes:

Notifications: Western may provide notifications for certain activities relating to your use of the Website. For example, Western may send you updates to its Terms of Service or Privacy Policy.

Statistics: Western may collect statistics about your use of the Website, which will be kept confidential. However, aggregate statistics that do not personally identify an individual will be kept and could be used in any lawful manner and could be shared by Western in its marketing efforts and reports.

System Logs & Cookies: Cookies are used by Western to track content usage and traffic on the Website. The Website uses cookies to help it compile aggregate statistics about usage of the Website, such as how many users visit the Website, how long users spend viewing the Website, and what pages are viewed most often. This information is used to improve the content of the Website. You can set your browser to notify you when you are sent a cookie or to disable cookies. When you disable cookies, you may not be able to take advantage of all the Website’s features.

Your web browser reports your IP address whenever you visit a page on the Website. This information is recorded together with your registration information on Western’s databases.

If we plan to use your Personal Information for any other purposes not identified above, we will only do so after updating this Privacy Policy.

Disclosures & Transfers of Information

Western has put in place contractual and other organizational safeguards to protect your Personal Information properly. In addition to those measures, Western will not disclose or transfer your Personal Information to third parties without your permission, except as specified in this Privacy Policy.

Your Information is stored at Western at its campus. From time to time, Western may employ third-party contractors to assist it in improving the Website. These third parties may have limited access to databases of user information solely to help Western to improve the Website. These third parties will be subject to contractual confidentiality obligations prohibiting them from using the Information about you and other users for any other purpose.

Important Exceptions: Western may disclose your Personal Information to third parties without your consent if Western has reason to believe that disclosing this information is necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action against someone who may be causing injury to or interference with (either intentionally or unintentionally) its rights or property, other Website users, or anyone else (including the rights or property of anyone else) that such activities could harm. Western may, with or without notice to you, disclose Personal Information when it believes in good faith that such disclosure is required by and in accordance with the law.

Security

Western uses reasonable efforts to store and maintain your Personal Information in a secure environment which includes technical, contractual, administrative, and physical security measures designed to protect Personal Information. Western has implemented procedures designed to limit the dissemination of your Personal Information to only such designated staff as is necessary and proper for providing the Website and maintaining its security.

Retention

Western will keep your Personal Information for as long as it remains necessary for the identified purpose or as required by law, which may extend beyond the termination of its relationship with you. Western may retain certain data required to prevent fraud or future abuse or for legitimate business purposes, such as analysis of aggregated, non-personally identifiable data, account recovery, or, if required by law. All retained Personal Information will remain subject to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you request that your Personal Information be removed from Western’s databases, it may not be possible to completely delete all your Personal Information due to technological and legal restrictions.

Access and Accuracy

Under FIPPA, you have the right to access your Personal Information in the custody and control of Western. Upon receipt of your written access request, Western will provide you with a copy of your Personal Information. In certain limited circumstances, Western may not be able to make all relevant Information available to you, such as where that information also pertains to another user. In such cases, Western will provide reasons for the denial to you.

Western will make every reasonable effort to keep your Personal Information accurate and up-to-date and will provide you with mechanisms to update, correct, delete or add to your Personal Information as appropriate.

Contact

If you would like to access your Information, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions or if you find any errors in the Information about you, please get in touch with us at: privacy@uwo.ca

You may also write to us at:

Western University

Attention: Privacy Officer

1151 Richmond Street

London, Ontario, N6A 3K7 CANADA

Phone: 519.661.2111

Western’s Freedom of Information and Privacy Office.