PRIVACY NOTICE
About the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) takes effect on May 25, 2018 and includes substantial changes to the European Union data protection laws. The purpose is to standardize data protection laws across the EU, enable people in the EU enhanced rights to their data and require businesses to meet technical and organizational controls around the collection and processing of personal information.
Infortal Worldwide has made changes in line with these new standards that we are using for all clients globally.
Please read this statement carefully and contact our Data Protection Officer at privacy@infortal.com if you have any questions about our privacy practices or your personal information choices, and please also feel free to contact your supervisory authority.
It is important that you check back often for updates to this Privacy Policy.
Infortal’s Commitment to Privacy and Data Security
Infortal is committed to protecting your privacy and data security in a responsible manner. We have updated our Privacy Policy effective May 25, 2018 and these changes provide:
- Details on how we use your information and the choices and controls available to you.
- Responsibilities for businesses that process personal information, such as asking consent for processing employment related background checks and investigations to prevent and detect things like fraud.
- Opportunities to request more information about the data we store, or to modify it.
We are taking other steps to be more transparent. For example, we have updated our privacy policy to detail how and why we collect some data, and we will be implementing additional platform notices and articles to remind our users of this.
All of these changes are being supported by extensive training efforts within our company so that we can address compliance processes in accordance with the GDPR, and to make sure that these processes can be followed.
Your Privacy
Your privacy is extremely important to us. In order to protect you the following information is designed to help you understand how Infortal Worldwide (www.prescreen.com and www.infortal.com) collects, uses and safeguards the information you provide to us when you use our websites to order information, including requesting a background check for employment purposes. This may include personally identifying information (PII) about you.
We define personally identifying information as information including name, an identification number, address, telephone number, social security number (in some countries) and email address may help us to locate or identify you as an individual.
We collect, use transfer and store personal information when needed to provide our services and for our operational and business purposes as described in this Policy.
Protecting your personal information is a top priority for us.
How We Use the Information
When you use our website your information is not stored unless you submit a form, respond to an email from us soliciting your information, or other content which has been forwarded to you for completion by one of our clients, or if you submit a question through our website, or send us an email or use Infortal email addresses to communicate your personal information to us. The information we collect is used to provide an employment related background report to assist our clients in making informed hiring decisions. We do not collect and store your information, such as name, email address, phone number and residential address, unless you take a specific action to knowingly and willingly provide us with that information.
We may use the information you provide about yourself, and your company, to fulfill your requests for our services and to fulfill our clients requests for services. This may include product purchases from Infortal, completion of forms, and for contacting you about your online registration, to provide you announcements about our products and services, to provide you news, information, training tips, online surveys, to respond to your inquiries about our services, and to contact you for other reasons related to improving our services.
We use a third party provided software to store and secure your information online for the purpose of completing background check reports.
We wish to be clear about our privacy processes so that you can make informed decisions about the use of your personal information, and we encourage you to contact our Data Protection Officer (privacy@infortal.com) at any time with questions or concerns about your privacy.
Our servers, logs and other technologies automatically collect information about you to help us administer, protect and improve our services; to analyze usage, and to improve user experience.
Who We Are
Infortal Associates Inc. doing business as (dba) Infortal Worldwide is a California based background screening, investigations and global risk mitigation company, operating under a California private investigations license: PI 15304 CA, as regulated by the California Department of Consumer Affairs. Infortal has been in business since 1985. Infortal is committed to providing highly accurate employment-related background checks, and investigations to help companies prevent fraud and corruption in their global supply chains.
Access to your Information
For instructions on how to access the personally identifiable information Infortal has collected about you online or to correct factual errors in that information, please contact us. We will take reasonable and prudent steps to protect the privacy and security of your information by verifying your identity before granting access to your information and before making corrections.
Your Consent
Infortal Worldwide conducts employment background screening and also screens people and businesses to prevent fraud and corruption amongst other things. By completing a Disclosure & Authorization form when seeking employment, in compliance with the US Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), either through our website or sent to you, you are consenting to the use of your personal information in accordance with this policy. This includes any sensitive personal information that you may provide, such as details of your identity, address, email address, educational degrees, employment history, credit history, real property ownership, and in some cases business ownership.
Additionally, for purposes of the GDPR, consent is both the legal basis and the mechanism for transfer of data outside the EU.
You may withdraw such consent at any time by email at: privacy@infortal.com
Rights under the GDPR
If you are an individual situated in an EU Member State (a “data subject”), in certain circumstances, you have the following rights with respect to your personal data:
- The right to object: you may request that Infortal Worldwide cease processing your personal data;
- The right to be forgotten/the right to erasure: you may request that your personal data be erased by Infortal Worldwide; and
- The right to restrict the processing of your personal data.
If you have any questions about your consent, your withdrawal thereof, or about exercising your rights, we encourage you to contact our Data Protection Officer at privacy@infortal.com.
Infortal Worldwide will collect use and disclose personal information in line with this Policy.
Collection of Information
We collect information about you when you, or your prospective employer, provide it to us (for purposes of the GDPR, “personal data”). When you sign a consent form during an employment application process, the employer may transmit your personal information securely to Infortal, as you have signed your consent to provide your information in order to complete a background check. This information may be securely stored for up to seven years in accordance with California law as it applies to licensed private investigators or for so long as such personal data is used for the purpose for which it is collected, whichever is shorter. We collect and process what may be considered sensitive personal information such as criminal allegations or convictions (however, where the GDPR applies, we only process information about criminal convictions if so authorized under the law of the relevant Member State), financial and credit information, government-issued social security numbers (or similar identifier), driver’s license, and occasionally passport numbers. This information is used to process background checks and is done with your consent.
We also collect information about you when you fill out our online forms, subscribe to our newsletter, inquire about our products or services, or participate in an online forum which may be done in person, by telephone, online, or on paper. Some of our services will ask you to share your location so that we can customize your experience and increase the accuracy of our services.
When you complete a request to verify information in your background history, we will ask you for your name and email address to login to our secure system before providing additional personal information with your permission.
Information from Devices
We also collect information from you when you log in from devices, when you interact with our website or use our third party website to complete your background check forms, or use our apps. This can include your geographic location. We may also collect information from cookies placed on your computer or your device. See our Cookie Policy below for more information about our use of cookies.
Social Media Login
When you log into our website or online services through a third party site, such as Facebook, that site may pass information about you to us, such as user ID, name associated with the ID, email address and location plus other information permitted under the privacy policy of that website. Our website may also return information about you to that website regarding your login.
Posts, Comments and Interactions
When someone enters into a conversation with us, for example though polls, surveys, text messages, email, phone, or our blog, registration, forms, or letters, we reserve the right to display this content indefinitely in any relevant context but will be anonymized in the case of testimonials or customer services.
Public Information and Posts
Any information about yourself or others that you submit on social media sites, including blogs, chat rooms, and forums will be viewed by other people. This personal data may be viewed, collected and used by third parties, including search engines, over which we have no control. We are not responsible for the information you share, submit or otherwise post in public areas, or any use that may be made of such information by third parties.
Other Sources
Periodically we may obtain information about you from other companies that have your permission to share information about you, as well as from other online and offline sources. We may combine this information we have directly and indirectly from you.
Information About Other People
By giving us information about another person, you confirm that they have appointed you to act for them, for you to provide us with their information, including sensitive personal information, and to the transfer of their information abroad and to receive on their behalf any data protection notices.
How We Use and Share Your Information
Deliver Services, Improve Experience and Personalization
Infortal Worldwide uses your information to provide you and our client end-users with requested products and services, including employment screening services and global anti-money laundering, anti-corruption services and products. We also respond to your requests for assistance, to provide improved and personalized experience and to manage our relationship with you. We may use your information to monitor, improve and protect our products, content, services and website both online and offline.
We may also provide you with help and support when requested by you or when we feel it may be required. For example if you have provided your information to participate in one of our online or offline events, we may contact you, or where you may have provided incomplete information when applying for an employment opportunity and that information is needed to complete the work on your background we may contact you to correct or clarify the information provided by you. If you have any questions, we encourage you to contact our Data Protection Officer at privacy@infortal.com.
See our Cookie Policy for further information about how we communicate and provide personalization of content with you.
Market Research & Analytics
We may use your information to conduct market research in order to improve the services we offer to you and to develop new products and services.
Relevant Communications
We may use your information to send you newsletters, bulletins and other relevant information regarding Infortal Worldwide, our services and products. You may withdraw such consent at any time by contacting us at : www.infortal.com/index.php/contact-us.html
Direct Marketing
Occasionally Infortal may send you communications by email, telephone, SMS, or post about us and our business partners’ products, services, events and offers.
Market Research and Analytics
We may use your information to conduct market research to improve the services and products we offer and to develop new products and services.
Sharing with Third Parties
We will only disclose your personal information to third party business partners or companies for their business purposes, when we have your permission to do so and when we have a contractual relationship with such third party which provides adequate safe guards with respect to personal data.
We partner with and are supported by service providers around the world. Personal information will be made available to these parties only when necessary to fulfill the services they provide to us.
This may include permission-based marketing or the permission you provide to your prospective employer or to Infortal Worldwide in order to complete your background check.
Where We Store and Process Personal Information
Your personal information may be stored and processed outside of your home country. We take steps to ensure that the information we collect is processed according to this Privacy Policy and the requirements of applicable laws wherever the data is located. We take appropriate steps to ensure that personal information is processed, secured, and transferred according to applicable law. In some cases we may need to disclose or transfer your personal information to third parties in areas outside of your home country.
For example, if you studied at a university in another country we may need to contact that university to verify the degree that was awarded to you. Similarly if you worked overseas, we may need to contact your prior employer to verify your employment history. In both cases this will be done with your consent. We take measures to provide an appropriate level of data privacy protection. Your rights and protections remain with your data.
Linked Services
Some of our services link to websites operated by third party companies in order to process background checks, including credit repositories to conduct credit checks, educational institutions to verify degrees, employment agencies to verify employment data, criminal courts where legally available, civil courthouses, and other third party data verifiers in order to complete your background check when we have your permission to do so. In some cases third party marketing agencies may be contacted with permission-based consent from you.
Our services may be linked to websites operated by third party companies and may carry advertisements or other content, functionality, games, newsletter, contests or applications developed by unaffiliated companies. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of unaffiliated companies, and when you leave Infortal’s website or click on another company’s advertisement you should check the applicable privacy policy of that company.
Allowing Social Sharing Functionality
If you login with other social media providers, you understand that the social media service’s use of the shared information will be governed by their privacy policy. If you do not want your personal information shared like this, please do not connect your social media account with your Infortal account, and do not participate in social media sharing on our website or apps.
Disclosures Required By Law
Your personal information will be disclosed when we are required by law to do so. We may be required to use and retain personal information for legal and compliance reasons, such as the prevention, detection, or investigation of a crime; loss prevention; or fraud. We may also use your personal information to meet our internal and external audit requirements, information security purposes, and as we otherwise believe necessary or appropriate under a) applicable law, which may include laws outside of your country of residence; b) to respond to requests from courts, law enforcement agencies, regulatory agencies and other public and government authorities, which may include such authorities outside your country of residence.
We may also disclose your information where we are allowed to by law to protect or enforce our rights or the rights of others and for the detection and prevention of crimes such as fraud.
Acceptable Use of Services
If you post or send offensive or objectionable content anywhere on or to our website, forum or apps, we may use the information that is available to us about you to stop such behavior. This may involve informing relevant third parties, such as your employer, known business associates, trade organizations, and law enforcement agencies about the content and your behavior.
Sale of Our Business
If we sell part or all of our business, customer information may be one of the business assets. If this happens your information may be disclosed to any of our business successors for them to use for the purposes set out in this Policy.
Payment and Credit Checks
Most of Infortal’s work is directly with corporations, however, on occasion we may work with individuals. In these instances customer information may be used to take payment for our products and services by individuals, and may be used related to credit details needed to make payment.
As part of employment screening checks, sometimes we are asked to check or verify credit information to help prevent fraud, check your identity, and to prevent money laundering. We may search the files of credit reference agencies who will record any credit searches on your file.
User Access and Control
Controlling Direct Marketing
You can change your mind about receiving direct marketing by contacting us.
Controlling Other Communications
You can easily control communications such as newsletters and other information about the services you choose by following unsubscribe instructions found within the communication.
Requesting Copies of Your Personal Information
You can request a copy of your personal information from Infortal Worldwide without charge. You may also ask us to correct any inaccuracies in your personal information, which is also free. Please note that we can only change inaccuracies that are within our control; some information obtained from external sources such as credit reporting bureaus must be done through those sources, however, we will help to provide information on how to contact them.
You may ask to be removed from our background screening processes by either contacting the prospective employer in accordance with their Privacy Policy or by sending us an email directly or contact us online using our online form.
Retention Of Personal Information
Infortal Worldwide will retain your information for as long as necessary for the uses described in this Policy. With respect to your personal information for the purposes of employment background checks, this information may be securely stored for up to seven years in accordance with California law as it applies to licensed Private Investigators. If you ask us to delete your information before then, we may not be able to do so, due to legal, regulatory and contractual obligations but will endeavor to meet your request.
Cookie Policy
This Policy covers our use of cookies, IP addresses, and other technologies.
What is a Cookie?
A cookie is a small text file that is placed on a computer or other device and is used to identify the user or device and to collect information. Only the website or ad company that sets a cookie can read it later. You can use the preferences in your web browser to view and control the cookies you have on your device.
Infortal Worldwide and our third party providers set and use cookies and similar technologies to store and manage user preferences, deliver targeted advertising, enable content, and to gather analytics and usage data. The use of cookies is standard across websites and apps through which information is collected about you online. More information about how you can manage and control cookies is shown below.
Cookies are typically assigned to one of four categories, depending on their function and intended purpose: absolutely necessary (essential) cookies, performance cookies, functional cookies, and cookies for marketing purposes.
Essential Cookies and Similar Technologies
These types of cookies are vital to run our services on our website and apps. Without the use of these cookies our website would not function properly. For example the use of cookies may help us to identify the location and authenticity of a user, or a subscriber to our newsletter or blog, or to protect Infortal Worldwide from misuse, malice or fraud.
Analytics Cookies and Performance Cookies
Analytics cookies collect information about your use of our website and apps. These cookies allow us to improve the way our website works. For example analytics provides us with information about the most frequently visited webpages which allows us to provide more popular content and news articles. Cookies help us to understand how you interact with our website, such as how you navigate around pages, between pages and this helps us to identify and improve your journey on our website in the future. Cookies also help us to identify problems on the websites as well as pages that are of less interest to the public at large and to our prospective clients. Performance cookies also provide key information regarding patterns of use of the website overall.
Functional Cookies
These cookies collect information about your choices and preferences, and allow us to remember things like your username, which helps you to login faster. Cookies also remember text size and location so that we can show you relevant content, and allow us to customize pages, products and services that you may be interested in.
Tracking, Advertising Cookies and Similar Technologies
These types of cookies and technologies provide advertisements that are more focused and relevant to your interests. This is done by delivering online advertising based on your previous web browsing activity, known as “online behavioral advertising or OBA. Infortal Worldwide does not use this type of technology, however, some business partners may use this technology and therefore it would be important to check their Cookies Policy if you leave Infortal’s website.
Web Beacons
Web beacons are bits of data that count the number of users who access a website or webpage and can allow us to see if a cookie has been activated. For example web beacons allow us to see how successful an article has been or that an email was successfully delivered and opened for marketing purposes. Web beacons also indicate clicks through to links or other articles, or advertisements contained in emails which is very helpful to Infortal in learning about your interests and creating better content that is more useful and interesting to you. This information does not identify you personally but is data that is aggregated for measuring overall interest.
Tracking URL’s
URL tracking is a web link which allows Infortal to measure when a link is clicked on. This information is used to measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns and the popularity of articles, blogs,
When you interact with our services online, cookies may collect information about those visits. When you connect to our websites, our servers receive and log information about your computer, device, and browser, including your IP address, other software and hardware information, and your geographic location which typically includes country and city.
Mobile Devices
When you access our website from your mobile device, we may collect unique device identifiers, geolocation data and other transactional information, which enables that device to interact with our websites.
Managing Cookies
Most web browsers will accept cookies by default but you can also change your settings to notify you when a cookie is being set or updated. You can also block cookies. Please consult the web section of your browser for specific details on disabling cookies for that browser.
Controlling OBA Cookies
Cookies can also be controlled by going to the Your Online Choices website. This website provides a user-friendly way to opt out of behavioral advertising from all of the networks represented by the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance:.
Controlling Web Beacons
You can prevent web beacons from tracking your activity, however, you will not be able to decline receiving them in emails. You can learn more about controlling web beacons here.
When you block any or all cookies, you may not have access to certain features, content, or personalization available on our website and apps.
Children’s Privacy
Infortal provides information solutions and services for and about adults. Our services are not directed towards or aimed at children or anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect information from or about children.
How to Contact Us
We understand that you may have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or may wish to file a complaint. Please feel free to contact us as follows:
Infortal’s Data Protection Officer: Email: privacy@infortal.com
Mailing Address:
Attention: Data Protection Officer
Infortal Worldwide
900 E. Hamilton Ave., Suite 100
Campbell, CA 95008
USA
To update your account information or email marketing preferences, or for technical support, please contact us.