FracTEL Security and Privacy Policy

Date of Last Revision: April 22, 2015

At Fractel, LLC, we are committed to protecting the security and privacy of customers and users of Fractel, LLC services, and our website. We have therefore created this policy statement (the “Policy”) to explain our security and privacy practices and procedures, including:

  • Information we collect
  • Our use of personally identifiable information
  • Disclosure of personally identifiable information
  • Customer proprietary network information (“CPNI”)
  • Security and data integrity
  • Our use of “cookies”
  • Our use of web beacons
  • Our use of banner ads
  • Checking account and preferences information for accuracy
  • Social Media Features
  • Tell A Friend
  • Blogs and Forums
  • Testimonials
  • Safe Harbor Compliance
  • Enforcement
  • Updating of our Policy
  • Contacting us

We believe that you should know what information we collect from you, as well as understand how we use, disclose, and protect that information. We believe that you should be able to communicate with us easily to limit the disclosure of any of your personally identifiable information, where practicable, and to address any questions or concerns that you may have. And, we will not disclose information to unaffiliated third parties without your consent or as otherwise provided in this Policy. By purchasing, subscribing to, or using Fractel, LLC’s services or using Fractel, LLC’s website, you agree to the terms and conditions set forth in this Policy. For other terms and conditions that govern your use of Fractel, LLC’s services and its webSite, please review the Legal page of the Fractel, LLC website.

1. INFORMATION WE COLLECT

We collect a variety of personally identifiable information (also referred to as “personal data”) about users of our services and visitors to our website in order to ensure an enjoyable user experience and seamless communications. When we use the term “personally identifiable information,” we mean information that is directly associated with, or could be used to identify, a specific person. Such information includes a name, address, telephone number, email address, or information about activities directly linked to that person which would permit the physical or online contacting of that person. Our definition of personally identifiable information does not include “aggregate information”— data we collect about a group or category of services or users or customers and from which individual user or customer identities have been removed. Aggregate information—for example, a report that indicates that a certain number of our customers reside in a particular state or region of the United States, or a report on how many of our customers visited particular pages of our website—aids us in understanding trends and customer needs. For example, aggregate information allows us to consider new services or tailor existing services to customer preferences, and to provide aggregate statistics to customers, potential customers, and business partners. Our definition of personally identifiable information also does not include your Internet protocol (“IP”) address. We collect the following types of personally identifiable information through use of our website and telephone calls to Fractel, LLC customer service:

  • Information You Give Us: We collect information you give us—such as your name, billing address, telephone number, e-mail address, and/or credit card number—when you purchase or use a service, participate in a promotion, or register with us in the “Preferences” section on our website.
  • Information We Collect Automatically: We automatically collect certain types of information whenever you interact with us. When you visit Fractel, LLC’s website, our systems automatically provide us with your IP address to tell us what type of web browser you use. When you visit Fractel, LLC’s website by clicking an advertisement on a third-party website, Fractel, LLC automatically collects information about the website you were visiting when you clicked on Fractel, LLC’s advertisement, including the IP address of the website and the date and time that you clicked on Fractel, LLC’s advertisement.
  • Fractel, LLC does not knowingly collect—either actively or passively—any information, including personal information as defined by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, from children under the age of 13.
  • To see how we use, disclose, and protect the personally identifiable information that we collect, please review the rest of this Policy.

2. OUR USE OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION

Our Internal Use: In general, we use personally identifiable information to serve our existing and prospective customers and to enhance and extend our customer relationships. By understanding how you use our services and our website, we are able to customize and personalize our interactions with you. More specifically:

  • We use personally identifiable information for billing purposes, to provide services or complete transactions you have requested, to anticipate and resolve problems with your services, and to create and inform you of products or services from Fractel, LLC or others that better meet your needs.
  • Subject to your agreement, Fractel, LLC uses e-mail, telemarketing, and direct mail to inform you about Fractel, LLC products or services we think will interest you. If you do not wish to receive these types of communications you can choose at any time not to continue receiving them by contacting us.
  • While you may choose not to receive marketing information from us, you will continue to receive bills, customer service-related notifications, and other similar information from us electronically or otherwise. You will also continue to receive communications directly related to each service you purchase or subscribe to.

Our Customer Surveys: Periodically, you may be able to participate in our surveys to help us improve our services. Any personally identifiable information that we may collect from you in a survey will ONLY be used internally by Fractel, LLC. And unless otherwise explained in the instructions for a particular customer survey, any personally identifiable information you provide to us for purposes of that survey will be used in accordance with this Policy.

Third-Party Use: To understand when and how Fractel, LLC may disclose personally identifiable information to unaffiliated third parties, please read the Disclosure of Your Personally Identifiable Information section below.

3. DISCLOSURE OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION

Because information about our existing and prospective customers is one of our most important business assets, we seek to protect it and keep it confidential. We do not share personally identifiable information with unaffiliated third parties, nor do we sell it to third parties, unless permitted to do so in accordance with this Policy.

Your Consent: Fractel, LLC may disclose your personally identifiable information if you consent to the disclosure in advance. Depending on the service, we may obtain your consent in a number of ways, including:

  • In writing;
  • Verbally;
  • Online, by clicking on a link or button; or
  • Through the use of a dialing string or buttons on a telephone handset.
  • In general, we may release personally identifiable information without your consent when we believe release is appropriate to do one of the following:
  • Comply with the law (e.g., lawful subpoena or court order);
  • Enforce or apply our agreements to sell or provide services to you;
  • Bill and collect for services; or
  • Protect out rights or property (e.g., to address allegations about fraudulent or unlawful activity on a Fractel, LLC account).

Disclosure to Affiliates: We may share your personal data between our Fractel, LLC group companies and business affiliates where it is necessary to support the services provided to you. In order to verify payment methods and prevent fraud, Fractel, LLC verifies personally identifiable information, including payment information, with payment providers and fraud prevention services. If at any time you apply for a credit line with Fractel, LLC, Fractel, LLC may perform a credit inquiry with credit reporting agencies, and such inquiry may be noted on your credit record. We may use automated decision making systems to verify payment methods, assess creditworthiness, or prevent fraud, and we may contact you requesting additional information when needed.

Disclosure to Unaffiliated Third Parties: We may share personally identifiable information with unaffiliated third parties only as necessary to complete a transaction or perform a service that you have requested, or to support the technical operation and maintenance of our services and of our website. We may also share personally identifiable information with or to our agents, outside vendors or service providers to perform functions on our behalf. For example, we use third party service providers to perform functions such as analyzing data, providing marketing assistance, providing customer service and processing orders. When the unaffiliated third party acts solely on our behalf, Fractel, LLC requires that party to follow our privacy practices. Fractel, LLC does not sell its customer lists or any personally identifiable information associated with its customers to third parties.

Business Transfers: Information about our users and customers, including personally identifiable information, may be disclosed as part of any merger, acquisition, or sale of company assets. It may also be disclosed in the unlikely event of an insolvency, bankruptcy, or receivership in which personally identifiable information would be transferred as one of the business assets of Fractel, LLC.

4. CUSTOMER PROPRIETARY NETWORK INFORMATION

In the normal course of providing telecommunications and interconnected voice-over-Internet-protocol (“interconnected VoIP”) services to its users and customers, Fractel, LLC collects and maintains certain customer proprietary network information (“CPNI”). Your CPNI includes the types of telecommunications and interconnected VoIP services you currently purchase or subscribe to, how you use those services (for example, your calling records), and billing information related to those services. Your Fractel, LLC telephone number, name, and address do not constitute CPNI. Fractel, LLC would like to share your CPNI within our company and with our affiliates and authorized agents in order to offer you additional products and services that may fit your needs. Fractel, LLC does not sell, trade, or otherwise share your CPNI with anyone outside of Fractel, LLC or with anyone who is not authorized to represent us to offer our services or to perform functions on our behalf, except as the law may require or you may authorize. Protecting your CPNI is important to us. In the United States, Federal law permits us to use this information to provide the telecommunications and interconnected VoIP services you purchase or subscribe to, and to bill and collect for those services. We may also use or disclose your CPNI for legal or regulatory reasons such as to respond to a court order, to investigate fraud, to protect our rights or property, to protect against the unlawful use of our services, or to protect other users. You have a right and we have a duty under federal law to protect the confidentiality of your CPNI. In order to opt-out and restrict access to your CPNI for our own marketing purposes, please contact us within 30 days of this notice. Restricting our use of your CPNI will not affect our provision of any service or product to which you currently subscribe, nor will you necessarily eliminate all types of Fractel, LLC marketing.

5. ENCRYPTION AND DATA INTEGRITY

We maintain a variety of physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to guard your Personally Identifiable Information and CPNI. Specifically, we use commercially accepted procedures and systems to protect against unauthorized access to our systems. We restrict access to your personally identifiable information and CPNI to those employees and contractors—all of whom are covered by this Policy—who need to know that information to provide services to you or otherwise assist you. We protect the security of your personally identifiable information during transmission via the Fractel, LLC website by using Secure Sockets Layer (“SSL”) software, which encrypts information you input, so that no one else can read it as it is transmitted over the Internet. And we use an SSL connection to enable you to view, enter, and change the information in the “Preferences” section securely on our website. You can take additional steps on your own to safeguard your personally identifiable information. For example, you should be sure to sign off when finished using a shared computer. And you should always log out of any website, including the Fractel, LLC website, after viewing personal account information, such as the “Preferences” section of our website. Please be advised that Fractel, LLC has no control over or responsibility for the security or privacy policies or practices of other sites on the Internet you might visit, interact with, or from which you might buy products or services, even if you visit them using links from the Fractel, LLC website.

You can shop at Fractel, LLC with confidence. We have partnered with Authorize.Net, a leading payment gateway since 1996, to accept credit cards and electronic check payments safely and securely for our customers. The Authorize.Net Payment Gateway manages the complex routing of sensitive customer information through the electronic check and credit card processing networks. See an online payments diagram to see how it works. The company adheres to strict industry standards for payment processing, including:

  • Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology for secure Internet Protocol (IP) transactions.
  • Industry leading encryption hardware and software methods and security protocols to protect customer information.
  • Compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

For additional information regarding the privacy of your sensitive cardholder data, please read the Authorize.Net Privacy Policy.

6. OUR USE OF “COOKIES”

Fractel, LLC uses “cookies” to enhance your use of our website. “Cookies” are small text files placed on your computer’s hard drive by a website when you visit that website. These files identify your computer and record your preferences and other data about your visit to a website so that when you return to that site, the site operator knows who you are and can personalize your visit. For example, cookies enable a website shopping cart to function so that you only have to check out once. Consequently, cookies are often tied to the use of personally identifiable information while using our website. If you choose not to accept the use of cookies, your use of our website may be impaired. Cookies allow us to do the following:

  • Complete transactions you have requested;
  • Collect information to determine which services and sections of our website are most and least popular;
  • Personalize our website and make recommendations to you based on services you have used in the past; and Improve the ease of use of our website, sometimes in conjunction with web beacons;
  • We do not use cookies to store credit card information;
  • We also use a session-based cookie to maintain continuity of navigation for you when viewing our website during a particular on-line session. After closing the browser, the session cookie simply terminates; it is not stored on your computer’s hard drive thereafter
  • In conjunction with web beacons, Fractel, LLC may also use cookies, but these cookies are not linked to your personally identifiable information.
  • Fractel, LLC does not use technology that recognizes “Do Not Track”‘ signals from your browser.
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer: Click the gear icon to the right of the address bar and select “Internet Options”. Select the “Privacy” tab, and you can move the slider to “High” or “Block All Cookies”. In order to delete cookies, select the “General” tab, and under the “Browsing history” section, click “Delete…”. Make sure “Cookies” is selected, and click “Delete” to delete cookies. Click “OK” when you are finished making your changes.
  • Mozilla Firefox: Click the “Firefox” menu on the upper-right corner of your browser and select “Options”. Select the “Privacy” tab, and under the “History” section, select “Never remember history” or “Use custom settings for history”. If you select “Use custom settings for history”, you can deselect “Accept third-party cookies” or “Accept cookies from sites”. In order to delete cookies, click “Show Cookies”, scroll to the particular cookies you would like to remove, and click “Remove Cookie”, or click “Remove All Cookies” to remove all cookies. If your history setting is set to “Never Remember history”, click “clear all current history”, make sure “Cookies” is selected, and click “Clear Now”. Click “OK” when you are finished making your changes.
  • Apple Safari: Click the gear icon to the right of the address bar and click “Preferences…”. Select the “Privacy” tab, and under the “Block cookies” section, you can select “From third parties and advertisers” or “always”. In order to delete cookies, click “Details…”, scroll to the particular cookies you would like to remove, and click “Remove Cookie”, or click “Remove All” to remove all cookies.
  • Google Chrome: Click the wrench icon to the right of the address bar and select “Settings”. Click “Show advanced settings…”, scroll down to the “Privacy” section, and click “Content settings”. Under the “Cookies section”, you can select “Block sites from setting any data” or “Block third-party cookies and site data” to prevent cookies from being set. In order to delete cookies, click “All cookies and site data”, scroll to the particular cookies you would like to remove, and click “x” to the right of the cookies, or click “Remove all” to remove all cookies. Click “OK” when you are finished making your changes.

7. OUR USE OF WEB BEACONS

Fractel, LLC may use web beacons on its website. A web beacon (sometimes called a “web bug” or “clear GIF”) is a tiny graphic image (usually a 1-by-1 pixel) displayed in a webpage, web-based document, or e-mail message, but it is usually invisible, as it is usually the same color as the background of the webpage, document, or e-mail message. When the user’s web browser reads the HTML code for the web beacon to retrieve the image, it can pass along the IP address of the user’s computer, the time the web beacon was viewed and for how long, and the type of browser used. Web beacons can also be linked to a user’s cookie and any personally identifiable information that may be stored in them. Fractel, LLC uses web beacons to gather aggregate information, as described above in Information We Collect. Fractel, LLC does not use web beacons that link to cookies or to personally identifiable information on unaffiliated third-party websites. And it does not permit unaffiliated third parties to place such web beacons in advertisements on Fractel, LLC’s website.

8. OUR USE OF BANNER ADS

We may use third-party advertising companies to place advertisements about Fractel, LLC products and services on other websites. These advertising companies may use cookies, web beacons, or other technologies to measure the effectiveness of our ads. The advertising companies may use anonymous information about your visits to our and other websites in order to measure advertising effectiveness and offer selective ad content. But they use an anonymous identifier, such as a number, to identify you. They do not link to or collect any personally identifying information. The use of such cookies, web beacons, and other technologies is subject to the advertising companies’ privacy policies, not the policy of Fractel, LLC. If you wish to not have this information used for the purpose of serving you targeted ads, you may opt-out by following the instructions to block cookies using your web browser settings, as described above. Please note this does not opt you out of being served advertising; you will continue to receive generic ads.

9. SOCIAL MEDIA FEATURES

Our website includes Social Media Features, such as the Facebook or Twitter button. These Features may collect your IP address, which page you are visiting on our site, and may set a cookie to enable the Feature to function properly. Social Media Features are either hosted by a third party or hosted directly on our Site. Your interactions with these Features are governed by the privacy policy of the third party company providing them.

10. REFERRAL PROGRAMS

If you choose to use our referral programs to refer someone to our site, we will ask you for the intended recipient’s name, email address, and phone number. Fractel, LLC will store and use this information to send emails inviting him or her to visit the site. Fractel, LLC stores this information for the sole purpose of sending the emails and tracking the success of our referral program. Your referral may contact us to request that we remove this information from our database.

11. BLOGS AND FORUMS

Our website offers publicly accessible blogs or community forums. You should be aware that any information you provide in these areas may be read, collected, and used by others who access them. To request removal of your personal information from our blog or community forum, contact us. In some cases, we may not be able to remove your personal information, in which case we will let you know if we are unable to do so and why.

12. TESTIMONIALS

With your input and your consent, we may post a customer testimonial by you on our website, which may include your name, industry, company, title, or other identifying information. If you want your testimonial removed please contact us.

13. ENFORCEMENT

Fractel, LLC regularly reviews its compliance with this Privacy Policy. Please contact us with any questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or Fractel, LLC’s treatment of personal information. When we receive formal written complaints, it is Fractel, LLC’s policy to contact the complaining customer or user regarding his or her concerns.

14. UPDATING OF OUR POLICY

Fractel, LLC will revise or update this Policy if our practices change or as we change existing services, add new services, or develop better ways to inform you of services we think will interest you. If we make any material changes, we will notify you by email (sent to the e-mail address specified in your account) or by means of a notice on this website prior to the change becoming effective. You should refer back to this page for the latest information and the effective date of any changes.

15. CONTACTING US

If you have any questions, comments or concerns about this Policy, please e-mail us at 
legal@fractel.net