- Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy sets forth the privacy practices for the GCA site and various related services (together referred to as the “Site”). By accessing this Site, you acknowledge and agree that this Privacy Policy is part of our Site Terms of Use, and you consent to, and agree to be bound by, all of its terms and conditions. You acknowledge that your submission of any information or data to GCA through this Site is voluntary and that you consent to our processing of your data. To the extent applicable, all provisions set forth in our Terms and Conditions apply equally to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not access or use this site.
We reserve the right to change this Privacy Policy at any time. Such changes, modifications, additions or deletions shall be effective immediately upon notice thereof, which may be given by means including, without limitation, issuing an email to the email address provided by registered users and posting the revised Privacy Policy on this page. You acknowledge and agree that it is your responsibility to maintain a valid e-mail address as a registered user, review this site and this Privacy Policy periodically, and be aware of any modifications. Your continued use of the site after such modifications will constitute your: (a) acknowledgement of the modified terms; and (b) agreement to abide and be bound by the modified Privacy Policy.
GCA, the provider of the Site (referred to as “us” or “we”), is committed to protecting your privacy online. You have a right to know how we use your personal data. Please read the information below to learn the following regarding your use of this site:
1. What information do we collect from you?
2. Where do we collect information from you and how do we use it?
3. With whom do we share your information?
4. How can you update, correct or delete your Personally Identifiable Information?
5. What are your choices regarding the collection, use and distribution of your information?
6. What security precautions are in place to protect against the loss, misuse or alteration of your information?
7. Do we use “cookies”?
8. What should you know about privacy policies and data collection at any third-party sites accessible from our site?
9. What else should you know about your privacy online?
- What information do we collect from you?
In order to better provide you with our numerous services, we collect two types of information about our users: Personally Identifiable Information and Non-Personally Identifiable Information. Our primary goal in collecting information from you is to provide you with a smooth, efficient, and customized experience while using our site. When you use our site in accordance with our Terms and Conditions, you provide your consent for us to process your data. Your data is also necessary to complete transactions requested by you on our site.
Personally Identifiable Information: This refers to information that lets us know the specifics of who you are. When you engage in certain activities on this site, such as registering for a membership, ordering a product or service, submitting content and/or posting content in discussion forums or other public areas, entering a contest or sweepstakes, filling out a survey, or sending us feedback, we may ask you to provide certain information about yourself by filling out and submitting an online form. It is completely optional for you to engage in these activities. If you elect to engage in these activities, however, we may ask that you provide us personal information, such as your first and last name, mailing address (including zip code), email address, employer or business affiliation, job title and department, telephone and facsimile numbers, and other personally identifying information. When ordering products or services on the site, you may be asked to provide a credit card number and other personal information such as your name, billing address, and telephone number for the purpose of processing payment. Depending upon the activity, some of the information we ask you to provide is identified as mandatory and some are voluntary. If you do not provide the mandatory data with respect to a particular activity, you will not be able to engage in that activity.
We do not sell, rent, or otherwise provide personally identifiable information to third parties without your consent except where it is necessary to carry out your instructions (to process your payment information, for example) or as expressly set forth in this Privacy Policy. Please note that in order to fulfil orders placed on this site, we need to share certain personal information (e.g., your name and shipping address) with the vendors of products purchased by you. We also share your payment information with our payment processor.
Non-Personally Identifiable Information: This refers to information that does not by itself identify a specific individual. We gather certain information about you based upon where you visit our site in several ways. This information is compiled and analyzed on both a personal and an aggregated basis. This information may include the Website’s Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”) that you just came from, which URL you go to next, what browser you are using, and your Internet Protocol (“IP”) address. An URL is the global address of documents and other resources on the World Wide Web. An IP address is an identifier for a computer or device on a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (“TCP/IP”) network, such as the World Wide Web. Networks like the Web use the TCP/IP protocol to route information based on the IP address of the destination. In other words, an IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are surfing the web, allowing web servers to locate and identify your computer. Computers require IP addresses in order for users to communicate on the Internet.
- Where do we collect information from you and how do we use it?
GCA processes personal data as both a data controller and a data processor, as defined in the GDPR. GCA acts as controller for all user data collected by this Site. We do not collect any Personally Identifiable Information about you unless you voluntarily provide it to us. You provide certain Personally Identifiable Information to us when you:
(a) register for our services and register your email address with us;
(b) enter sweepstakes or contests sponsored by us or one of our partners;
(c) sign up for special offers from selected third parties;
(d) send e-mail messages, submit forms or transmit other information by telephone or letter; or
(e) submit your credit card or other payment information when ordering and purchasing products and services on our site.We may also collect information from you at other points on our site that state that such information is being collected.
Additionally, we may also collect (or our third-party ad server and/or content server may collect) certain Non-Personally Identifiable Information. This information is ultimately stored in the form of store categories, and, in some cases, specific URLs. We use your IP address to diagnose problems with our servers and/or software, to administer our site, and to gather demographic information. Our third-party ad servers will also provide us with summary, but not individual reports that will tell us how many ads were presented and clicked upon at our site.
We will primarily use your Personally Identifiable Information to provide our services to you, as described in our Terms and Conditions. We will also use Personally Identifiable Information to enhance the operation of our site, fill orders, improve our marketing and promotional efforts, statistically analyze site use, improve our product and service offerings, and customize our site’s content, layout, and services. We may use Personally Identifiable Information to deliver information to you and to contact you regarding administrative notices. We may also use Personally Identifiable Information to resolve disputes, troubleshoot problems and enforce our agreements with you, including our Terms and Conditions and this Privacy Policy.
Information about your computer and/or Mobile Device, IP Addresses, and Logfiles: When you visit the GCA site, we receive the URL of the last website you were using before visiting us and the site you visit after leaving the GCA site. If you click on an ad while on the GCA site, third-party advertisers may receive the URL of the page you were on when you clicked the ad. GCA may also receive information about the web browser you are using, the operating system your computer or mobile device is running, the IP (“Internet Protocol”) address of your computer or any proxy server you are using, and your Internet-Service Provider (ISP) or mobile carrier’s name. If enabled on your device, GCA may also receive location data from your device. GCA may also receive information when you elect to “spread the word” about GCA using your social media accounts and/or invite your contacts to join our site. GCA does not access your social media accounts without your permission.
- With whom do we share your information?
We provide some of our services through contractual arrangements with affiliates, services providers, partners and other third parties. We and our service partners use your Personally Identifiable Information to operate our sites and to deliver their services. For example, we must release your credit card information to the card-issuing bank to confirm payment for products and services purchased on this site; release your address information to the vendor and delivery service to deliver products that you ordered; and provide order information to third parties that help us provide customer service.
We will encourage our service partners to adopt and post privacy policies. However, the use of your Personally Identifiable Information by our service partners is governed by the privacy policies of those service partners and is not subject to our control.
Occasionally we may be required by law enforcement or judicial authorities to provide Personally Identifiable Information to the appropriate governmental authorities. We will disclose Personally Identifiable Information upon receipt of a court order, subpoena, or to cooperate with a law enforcement investigation. We fully cooperate with law enforcement agencies in identifying those who use our services for illegal activities. We reserve the right to report to law enforcement agencies any activities that we in good faith believe to be unlawful. We reserve the right to retain Personally Identifiable Information to the extent necessary to enforce this Agreement; respond to claims of a violation of the rights of third parties; respond to customer service inquiries; or protect the rights, property, or personal safety of GCA, our clients or the public.
We may also provide Non-Personally Identifiable Information about our customers’ sales, traffic patterns, and related site information to third-party advertisers, but these statistics do not include any Personally Identifiable Information.
4. How can you update or correct your Personally Identifiable Information?
We believe you should have the ability to access and edit the Personally Identifiable Information that you have provided to us. You may change any of your Personally Identifiable Information in your account online at any time by linking to your account in accordance with instructions posted elsewhere on this site. You may also access and correct your personal information and privacy preferences by writing us at:
Green Cleaning Association, LC
24 Crain Hwy S, Suite 1R,
Glen Burnie, MD 21061
Please include your name, address, and/or email address when you contact us.
We encourage you to promptly update your Personally Identifiable Information if it changes. You may ask to have the information on your account deleted or removed; however, because we keep track of past transactions, you cannot delete information associated with past transactions on this site. In addition, it may be impossible to completely delete your information without some residual information because of backups.
5. What are your choices regarding the collection, use, and distribution of your information?
We may, from time to time, send you an email regarding our products and services. In addition, if you indicated upon registration that you are interested in receiving offers or information from us and our partners, we may occasionally send you direct mail about products and services that we feel may be of interest to you. Only GCA (or agents working on behalf of GCA and under confidentiality agreements) will send you these direct mailings and only if you indicated that you do not object to these offers. If you do not want to receive such mailings, simply tell us when you give us your personal information. Or, at any time thereafter you can easily edit your account information to no longer receive such offers and mailings.
If your information is inaccurate or needs to be corrected, you can update, correct, or delete your account information at any time by accessing your account setting page. You can also contact us through our Site or at the below address, and we will ensure that the necessary changes are made. If you wish to discontinue your use of this site, you have a right to have your personal data deleted or removed at your sole discretion without the need for any specific reason. When you are logged in to your GCA account, you can manage your privacy settings to object, withdraw consent, or restrict the use of your data, or you can contact us through our Site or at the below address. You have a right to retain and reuse your personal data for your own purposes. You can receive the information by contacting us through our site or at the below address.
You also have choices with respect to cookies, as described below. By modifying your browser preferences, you have the choice to accept all cookies, to be notified when a cookie is set, or to reject all cookies. If you choose to reject all cookies some parts of our site may not work properly in your case.
6. What security precautions are in place to protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of your information?
At our site you can be assured that your Personally Identifiable Information is secure, consistent with current industry standards. The importance of security for all Personally Identifiable Information associated with our users is of utmost concern to us. Your Personally Identifiable Information is protected in several ways. Access by you to your Personally Identifiable Information is available through a password and unique customer ID selected by you. This password is encrypted. We recommend that you not divulge your password to anyone. In addition, your Personally Identifiable Information resides on a secure server that only selected GCA personnel and contractors have access to via password. We encrypt your Personally Identifiable Information and thereby prevent unauthorized parties from viewing such information when it is transmitted to us.
Personal information that you provide that is not Personally Identifiable Information also resides on a secure server and is only accessible via password. Since this information is not accessible from outside GCA you will not be asked to select a password in order to view or modify such information.
In order to most efficiently serve you, credit card transactions and order fulfilment are handled by established third-party banking, processing agents, and distribution institutions. They receive the information needed to verify and authorize your credit card or other payment information and to process and ship your order.
If you are visiting GCA’s site from outside the United States, you should be aware that our servers are located in the U.S. and you are therefore sending data to the U.S. The information may be transferred within the U.S. or to other countries depending upon the information you provided and the manner of storage. While not all countries have as extensive of data protection laws as your country, our use of your data is always controlled by this privacy policy.
Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet or any wireless network can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your Personally Identifiable Information, you acknowledge that: (a) there are security and privacy limitations of the Internet which are beyond our control; (b) the security, integrity and privacy of any and all information and data exchanged between you and us through this site cannot be guaranteed; and (c) any such information and data may be viewed or tampered with in transit by a third party.
We only retain your personal data for as long as your account remains active or for a limited period necessary for us to complete the purposes for which we initially collected it, unless otherwise required by law.
7. Do we use “cookies?”
When you use our site we will store cookies on your computer in order to facilitate and customize your use of our site. A cookie is a small data text file, which a Website stores on your computer’s hard drive (if your Web browser permits) that can later be retrieved to identify you to us. Our cookies store randomly assigned user identification numbers, the country where you are located, and your first name to welcome you back to our site. The cookies make your use of the site easier, make the site run more smoothly and help us to maintain a secure site. You are always free to decline our cookies if your browser permits, but some parts of our site may not work properly in that case.
We use cookies and similar technologies such as Facebook pixels or third-party plugins to provide third-party advertising and our own retargeted advertising to Users both on and off the GCA site. Information provided to third-parties for advertising is not personally identifiable but does include general information such as your location, interests, and professional field. This information helps GCA and the advertisers we work with provide users with advertising that is more appropriate for the individual user. Pixels and/or plugins allow us to access certain user data for use in marketing on social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or Google. Cookies and similar technologies also allow us to collect non-personally identifiable, aggregated data regarding our users generally, which we use for research, auditing, and reporting for GCA’s own use and for third-party advertisers.
We may use an outside ad serving company to display banner advertisements on our site. As part of their service, they will place a separate cookie on your computer. We will not provide any third-party ad server with any of your Personally Identifiable Information or information about your purchases. We and our third-party ad server will collect and use Non-Personally Identifiable Information about you, such as your IP address, browser type, the server your computer is logged onto, the area code and zip code associated with your server and whether you responded to a particular ad. Other advertisers may also place banner ads on our site in the same manner as above, but we will not disclose any Personally Identifiable Information to them.
8. What should you know about privacy policies and data collection at any third-party sites accessible from our site?
Except as otherwise discussed in this Privacy Policy, this document only addresses the use and disclosure of information we collect from you. Other sites accessible through our site have their own privacy policies and data collection, use, and disclosure practices. Please consult each site’s privacy policy. We are not responsible for the policies or practices of third parties. Additionally, other companies which place advertising on our site may collect information about you when you view or click on their advertising through the use of cookies. We cannot control this collection of information. You should contact these advertisers directly if you have any questions about their use of the information that they collect.
9. What else should you know about your privacy online?
You must be at least 18 years old to have our permission to use this site. Our policy is that we do not knowingly collect, use or disclose Personally Identifiable Information about visitors that are under 18 years of age.
You should also be aware that when Personally Identifiable Information is voluntarily disclosed (e.g., your name, email address, etc.) in the discussion forums or other public areas on this site, that information, along with any information disclosed in your communication, can be collected and used by third parties and may result in unsolicited messages from third parties. Such activities are beyond our control and this Policy does not apply to such information. Any submissions to chat rooms or other public areas on this site are accepted with the understanding that they are accessible to all third parties. If you do not want your comments to be viewed by third parties, you are advised not to make any submissions. Ultimately, you are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your password and/or account information. Please be careful and responsible whenever you’re online.