Privacy Policy
Cochlear Website Privacy
Policy - Effective July 1, 2009
Our Commitment To
Privacy:
Your privacy is important to us. To better protect your
privacy we provide this Privacy Policy explaining online
information practices of Cochlear Limited and its subsidiaries and
affiliates (referred to as "we" and "us" in this Privacy Policy)
and the choices you can make about the way your information is
collected and used. To make this Privacy Policy easy to find, we
make it available as a link from our home page and from every page
on our web site.
[Australian specific statement: Cochlear is bound by the
Australian National Privacy Principles and complies with them as
required by Australian privacy laws]. This notice does not
apply to handling by Cochlear of personal information relating to
its employees or former employees, which are subject to separate
policies.
The Information We
Collect:
This notice applies to all information collected or
submitted on the Cochlear Website. If you are a user residing in
the USA or Canada, you may order products from our online catalog.
In addition, you can be part of the Nucleus Forum, receive company
information, apply for employment or participate in surveys. The
types of personal information collected are:
Name
Address
Email address
Phone number
Fax number
Credit/Debit Card Information (if you choose to transact with us
online)
Audiologist
Implant Data
Health Data
In this document, we may refer to some or all of your personal
information as:
Personal Data. (This is information from
which your identity is apparent or can reasonably be ascertained
either directly or indirectly, including by reference to an
identification number or one or more factors specific to your
physical, physiological, mental, economic, cultural or social
identity).
Sensitive Personal Data (is Personal Data
which is sensitive and includes information regarding your physical
or mental health or condition).
Consents regarding your
data:
You unambiguously consent and agree to the following:
1. Your Personal Data and Sensitive Personal Data may be
collected, processed and stored by Cochlear in the United States
and by Cochlear subsidiaries and affiliates located in other
countries as stated below (including under the heading "How we use
and disclose information").
2. You understand the purposes for which your Personal Data and
Sensitive Personal Data is being collected. The purposes for which
Personal Data and Sensitive Personal Data collected at various
points on this Website are used are set forth below. If you are
uncertain or have any concerns about how data entered by you will
be used or disclosed do not enter that data.
a. Cochlear Connection: Candidate Registration
b. Cochlear Connection: Connect with a Recipient
These pages collect Personal Data and Sensitive Personal
Data. . Personal Data and Sensitive Personal Data collected
through these pages is used to pair up, for communication purposes,
potential customers with existing customers. This is done at the
special request of our potential customers and exisiting
customers. They indicate they would like to participate in
this program by completing the above forms -that facilitate
communication between individual recipients and between individual
recipients and potential recipients To do this, Personal Data and
Sensitive Personal Data is shared with one or more Cochlear implant
recipients or potential recipients. The information is also
used by us for long term medical and marketing research into trends
relating to the submitted data and to enhance our products and
Website.
c. The Nucleus Forum
The Nucleus Forum is a public e-mail discussion group for
individuals considering a Cochlear implant, and individuals who
have a Cochlear implant. Personal Data and Sensitive Personal
Data is sent by these individuals to us via e-mail and covers
topics related to the Cochlear implant experience. The
information provided by individuals who participate in the Nucleus
Forum is also used by us for long term medical and marketing
research into trends relating to the submitted data and to enhance
our products and Website. Statements sent to the Nucleus
Forum are deemed to be the personal opinions of the writers and do
not necessarily represent our opinion. You agree that information
(including Personal and Sensitive Personal Data) you submit
to the Nucleus Forum will be handled in accordance with our
obligations under applicable privacy laws, but will otherwise be
treated on the basis that you have consented to its disclosure to
other users having access to the Nucleus or that it has been made
public as a result of steps deliberately taken by you in your
participation in the Forum discussion group].
d. Submit Your Story
Submit Your Story is a page through which Nucleus recipients can
publicly share their stories and photos with friends, family and
Nucleus candidates through the Cochlear websites. We post this
information on the Nucleus Family page of our Website. In
addition, we use the stories for long term medical and marketing
research into trends relating to the submitted data and to enhance
our products and Website. You agree that information (including any
Personal Data and Sensitive Personal Data) you submit through this
page will be handled in accordance with our obligations under
applicable privacy laws, but will otherwise be treated on the basis
that you have consented to its disclosure to other users having
access to the Nucleus or that it has been made public as a result
of steps deliberately taken by you in your participation.
e. Purchases from Product Catalog and Service
Contracts.
United States and Canadian residents may order from our Product
Catalog and Service Contracts. We use this information to
identify and ship products you wish to purchase. The information is
also used by us for long term medical and marketing research into
trends relating to the submitted data and to enhance our products
and Website. In addition to the consent to collect and
process your data stated above, you agree that the collection and
processing of the data is necessary for the performance of a
contract to which you are a party or for taking steps at your
request with a view to entering into a contract.
In Certain cases, Personal Data, Including Sensitive Personal
Data is collected, processed or transferred to parties related
and/or not related to us at your request in order to perform a
service or otherwise undertake an activity for and at your
request. The parties we transfer information to may or may
not be in the United States.
The Way We Use and Disclose
Information:
We use the information you provide about yourself only
for the purposes stated above and to enable Cochlear to manage the
use or proposed use by recipients of its implant products and
related services. We do not share the information with
outside parties except to perform a service or task you have
requested ("service providers").
For example, we use the information you provide when placing an
order in the online catalog (for users to whom this service is
available) only to complete that order. We do not share this
information with service providers except to the extent necessary
to complete that order.
In some cases, where it is necessary to perform a service or
task you have requested, Personal Data and Sensitive Personal Data
may be shared with a service provider located outside the country
from which your Personal Data is collected.
Information you provide may be shared with and stored by
Cochlear Ltd, and subsidiaries or affiliates of Cochlear Ltd,
including subsidiaries or affiliates located in countries other
than the country from which you submit that information.
In addition, in the case of recipients of Cochlear implants,
depending on the circumstances in which you provide Personal Data
or Sensitive Personal Data to us, to handle your request, we may
disclose your Personal Data or Sensitive Personal Data to your
parent, guardian or carergiver (if applicable), your clinic or the
hospital at which you receive treatment, audiologist, your doctor,
your health insurer and other health service providers and
government regulators.
If you do not provide Personal Data we may be unable to perform
the service or task you have asked us to provide or you may be
unable to access certain facilities provided in connection with
this Website.
Your Personal Data may be used by Cochlear to provide you with
information about Cochlear's products and services. If you do
not want your Personal Data or Sensitive Personal Data used for
this purpose, please contact us atinfo@cochlear.com
If you participate in the Nucleus Forum, we may use your email
address in order to deliver Nucleus Forum Peer Counseling and
Support information.
We use non-identifying and aggregate information to better
design our Website. For example, we may track information so that
we can tell that X number of individuals visited a certain area on
our Website, or that Y number of men and Z number of women filled
out our registration form, but we would not disclose anything that
could be used to identify those individuals.
In addition, we automatically track certain information about
you. This information includes your domain name and IP address,
your browser version, your operating system, the URL you came from,
the pages you visit within the Site, and the URL to which you go
upon leaving the Website. We use this information, in an aggregate
form only, to monitor Site performance, utilization of features and
services, traffic trends, and browser versions.
We may use Personal Data to determine the demographics of
our users and to distribute statistics and general marketplace
information. These demographics will always represent aggregate
information and never identify a specific user.
The Site includes links to other web sites ("Linked Sites").
Except as expressly stated herein, we shall not share personally
identifiable information about users with the operators of such
Linked Sites, but may provide aggregate information regarding users
to such operators. We are not responsible for the privacy practices
or the content of the Linked Sites and hereby expressly disclaim
all responsibility and liability that may arise therefrom. Links to
and from the Website to the Linked Sites does not constitute an
endorsement by Cochlear of any Linked Site or its content.
We also use a technology called "cookies" which can be used to
provide tailored information from a Website. A cookie is an element
of data that is sent to your browser and stored on your system. You
may be able to set your browser to refuse a cookie or to notify you
when you receive a cookie, giving you the chance to decide whether
to accept it.
Our Commitment To Data
Security:
To maintain data security and ensure the correct use of
information, we have put in place procedures to safeguard and
secure the information we collect online. However, you acknowledge
that you are aware of security and privacy limitations, including
but not limited to (1) the possible limitations or failures of
security, privacy and authentication measures and features in this
system; and (2) that data or information may be subject to third
party eavesdropping or tampering.
Our Commitment To
Children's Privacy:
Protecting the privacy of the very young is especially
important. Any information collected openly on the Website from
children is kept strictly confidential within Cochlear. Any use of
such information by Cochlear will not identify individual children.
No data will be released to any third party.
If a person of 15 years or less registers to use the Nucleus Forum
they should advise a parent or guardian that they are so
registered.
How You Can Access Or Correct
Your Information:
You can access all personal information that we collect
online.
You can request correction of factual errors in personal
information collected online about you which is held by us by
sending us a request by e-mail atinfo@cochlear.com .
If we agree with you, we will take reasonable steps to correct that
information. If we do not agree with you, at your request, we
will take reasonable steps to associate with any record of the
Personal Data that you claim to be incorrect, a statement setting
out your claim.
To protect your privacy and security, we will also take
reasonable steps to verify your identity before making
corrections.
How To Contact Us:
Should you require any further information about how we handle or
have other questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please
send an email toinfo@cochlear.com.
Updates to this Privacy
Policy:
We may update or amend this Privacy Policy at any time by posting
the amended Privacy Policy to the Website.