Privacy Policy
Last revised: May 2017
Abido Network, Inc. (“Abido”, “our”, “us” or “we”) provides this Privacy Policy to inform you of our policies and procedures regarding the collection, use and disclosure of personal information we receive from users of our website located at www.abidonetwork.com (the “Site”) and related services, features and content (collectively, the “Abido Network” or the “Network”). This Privacy Policy applies only to information that you provide to us through the Network. A user of the Network or Site, whether as a registered user or a non-registered user just browsing the Site, or having any communication with Abido representatives is hereinafter referred to as a “User,” or collectively, the “Users”.
This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on the Site. You are advised to consult this policy regularly for any changes. Unless otherwise defined in this Privacy Policy, terms used in this Privacy Policy have the same meanings as in our Abido Terms of Service, accessible at: www.abidonetwork.com. Capitalized terms used herein but not otherwise defined will have the definitions provided in the Terms of Service. As used in this policy, the terms “using” and “processing” information include using Cookies (defined below) on a computer, subjecting the information to statistical or other analysis, and using or handling information in any way, including, but not limited to collecting, storing, evaluating, modifying, deleting, using, combining, disclosing and transferring information within our organization or among affiliates or partners we establish.
Information Collection and Use
Our primary goals in collecting, using and processing information via the Network are to provide Users with access to and use of our Network, to improve and further develop our Network and to enable users to enjoy and easily navigate the Site.
Personally Identifiable Information
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In the course of using the Network (whether as a Client or Contractor), we may ask you to provide us with, or grant us access to, or permission to obtain, certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify you; personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to, your name, company name, email address, postal address, work experience and interests, and phone number (“Information”).
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If you use the Network to make or receive payments, we will also collect certain Personal Information such as credit card information, Swipe, PayPal or other financial account information, and billing address.
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We may collect additional Personal Information to validate your identity, such as your date of birth, place of birth or taxpayer identification number. We may request documents to verify this information, such as a copy of your government-issued identification or photo, and we may authenticate it against third party databases or request a credit report.
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We also collect other information that you provide in connection with your use of the Network (e.g., zip code (on its own) and individual preferences) (“Non-Identifying Information”). We collect additional Non-Identifying Information from Clients in the form of information related to jobs posted via the Network (e.g., budget, location, history of job listings, timing of job performance and feedback/rating information). We also collect additional Non-Identifying Information from Contractors in connection with Contractor profiles (e.g., information on jobs previously performed, skills, tests taken, hourly pay rates and feedback/rating information).
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We use your Personal Information (in some cases, in conjunction with your Non-Identifying Information) mainly to provide the Network, complete your transactions, and administer your inquiries.
Certain Non-Identifying Information would be considered a part of your Personal Information if it were combined with other identifiers (for example, combining your zip code with your street address) in a way that enables you to be identified. But the same pieces of information are considered Non-Identifying Information when they are taken alone or combined only with other non-identifying information (for example, your viewing preferences). We may combine your Personal Information with Non-Identifying Information and aggregate it with information collected from other Abido Users to attempt to provide you with a better experience, to improve the quality and value of the Network, and to analyze and understand how our Site and Network are used, and to generate general industry analysis. We may also use the combined information without aggregating it to serve you specifically, for instance to deliver a product to you according to your preferences or restrictions.
When you apply to the Network, you will be opting-in to receive Abido emails, newsletters, marketing and/or promotional materials. We will also use your Personal Information to send this content to you. If you decide at any time that you no longer wish to receive such communications from us, you can opt-out or customize the type of messages you receive from Abido by emailing us at info@abidonetwork.com. Please note that any such opt-out applies solely to marketing related emails. Abido will still need to communicate with you via email with regarding non-marketing related matters related to the Network and you acknowledge and agree that Abido has the right to do so.
Abido’s Use of Personal Information
Abido uses Personal Information for the following general purposes:
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To provide our products and the Network,
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For billing, identification and authentication, and fraud prevention,
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To analyze Site usage and improve our products and the Network,
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To contact you and deliver administrative notices and communications relevant to your use of our products and services,
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For internal market research, troubleshooting problems, and detecting and protecting against error, fraud or other criminal activity,
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For distribution to third-party contractors that provide services to Abido and partners of Abido who are bound by confidentiality obligations with respect to any Personal Information that we share with them,
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To enforce our Terms of Service, and
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As otherwise set forth in the Privacy Policy.
We may employ third party companies and individuals to facilitate our Network, to provide the services of the Network on our behalf, to perform Site-related services (e.g., without limitation, maintenance services, database management, web analytics, payment processing, fraud detection and improvement of the Site’s features) or to assist us in analyzing how our Site and Network are used. These third parties have access to your Personal Information only to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose. Although we ensure that our third party agents (“Agents”) receiving your information are bound by confidentiality obligations. Abido is not responsible for and shall not be liable for any issues that may arise regarding the Privacy Policies of any of its agents, affiliates, advertisers and/or any other third parties. By using this website, you do hereby agree to hold Abido indemnify, defend and hold harmless Abido from any claims and/or damages that may arise from the actions of any of Abido’s Agents, affiliates and/or advertisers.
Two things drive Abido’s decisions regarding the use of information collected from users: 1) improving user experience by offering personalized services, content and advertising, and 2) market research.
Ads are a standard part of user experience on the Internet, and Abido believes that targeted advertising enhances this experience. Abido may use Cookies (defined below) and other technologies and Personal Information to place ads where they believe interested parties will see them. In addition to banner ads, Abido may advertise products, companies and events that we think might interest you through the email address you provide.
Abido may analyze Personal Information and Web Navigational Data based on your interests and may use the analysis from this information in a way that does not contain any Personal Information (“Market Research”) in order to:
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Market the Network
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Improve the likelihood of a sale to a new Users
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Increase the likelihood that a User's experience with the Network is relevant to its interests
Abido uses data at the individual level to sell services to Users who express an interest in these services, through a poll for example, or to Users who can be presumed to have an interest based on results from our Market Research.
Information Sharing
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We may share or otherwise use aggregated information that does not include Personal Information, and we may otherwise disclose Non-Identifying Information and Log Data with third parties for industry analysis, demographic profiling and other purposes. Any aggregated information shared in these contexts will not contain your Personal Information.
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Some Abido content is “sponsored by” or “presented by” other companies. Abido shares market research data (how the sponsorship performed, names of contest winners, etc.) collected on this website or via email surveys with these partners. This information is aggregated and not linked to specific Users.
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Abido reserves the right to disclose Personal Information from both private and public areas of this website at our discretion, if required by law or if we are given reason to believe, in our sole discretion, that such disclosure is necessary in order to prevent harm to our Network or our Users or to protect the rights of our Users, the general public, or Abido, to comply with a judicial proceeding, court order or legal process.
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Finally, Abido reserves the right to transfer, sell and/or distribute all information collected through the Network to an affiliate, subsidiary, or third party in the event of any reorganization, merger, sale, joint venture, assignment, transfer or other disposition of all or part of our business, assets or stock. We will require that new entity follows this Privacy Policy with respect to your Personal Information, as and to the extent required by applicable law, unless and until you consent to a different privacy policy of the new entity.
Client-Contractor Communication and Work Product
As part of the Network, we may collect information and communication transferred between Client and Contractor, including without limitation the Work Product. Such data may include information input, sent or delivered by the Contractor or Client such as a memo, project details and timeline and responses to queries. Abido may use this information for statistical analysis, product development, marketing and research. Except as noted above, we do not treat information contained in these communications as Personal Information, but we may use such information in association with Personal Information, and we may aggregate, analyze and evaluate such information for the same purposes as stated above regarding other Non-Identifying Information.
Log Data
When you visit the Site, whether as a registered user or a non-registered user just browsing the Site (a “User”), our servers automatically record information that your browser sends whenever you visit a website (“Log Data”). This Log Data may include information such as your computer’s Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, browser type, browser software version or the webpage you were visiting before you came to our Site, pages of our Site that you visit, the time spent on those pages, information you search for on our Site, access times and dates, and other statistics. In addition, we may use third party services such as Google Analytics that collect, monitor and analyze this type of information in order to increase our Site’s functionality and user-friendliness, to better tailor it to our visitors’ needs, and to detect suspicious activity. These third party service providers have their own privacy policies addressing how they use such information. We do not treat Log Data as Personal Information, but we may use it in association with Personal Information, and we may aggregate, analyze and evaluate such Log Data for the same purposes as stated above regarding other Non-Identifying Information.
Cookies
Like many websites, we use “Cookies”, a small data file that we transfer to your computer’s hard disk for record-keeping purposes, to collect information. We utilize session ID Cookies to enable certain features of the Site, to better understand how you interact with the Site and to monitor aggregate usage by Abido Users and web traffic routing on the Site. Unlike persistent Cookies, session Cookies are deleted from your computer when you log off from the Site and Network and then close your browser. You can instruct your browser, by changing its options, to stop accepting Cookies or to prompt you before accepting a Cookie from the websites you visit. If you do not accept Cookies, however, you may not be able to use all portions of the Site or all functionality of the Network.
No PHI
While Abido takes security and privacy very seriously, Abido is not a HIPAA Business Associate and the Abido Network is not HIPAA-compliant and should not be used to store any protected health information (“PHI”). You agree that you will not include Abido in any correspondence (email, phone, documents) containing PHI. To do so would be a violation of our Terms of Service.
Phishing
Safeguarding information to help protect you from identity theft is a top priority. We do not and will not, at any time, request your credit card information, your account ID, login password, or national identification numbers in a non-secure or unsolicited e-mail or telephone communication. We advise you not to respond to and to promptly report any email or telephone communication purporting to be from Abido in which such information is collected. For more information about phishing, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website.
Jobs
If you choose to post a job listing via the Network as a Client, the contents of such job listing will be viewable to other members of the Network. Job listings may include information such as budget, location, history of job listing by the Client, Client feedback and rating information and timing of job performance. If you choose to apply for a job as a Contractor via the Network, we will share with the applicable Client information related to your application, including, but not limited to, the information contained in your Abido Consultant profile.
Feedback
We collect feedback from users about their experience with other users of the Network. Please note that any User feedback provided via the Network will be viewable to other members of the Network.
Compliance With Laws and Law Enforcement
Abido cooperates with government and law enforcement officials and private parties to enforce and comply with the law. We will disclose any information about you to government or law enforcement officials or private parties as we, in our sole discretion, believe necessary or appropriate to respond to claims and legal process (including but not limited to subpoenas), to protect the property and rights of Abido or a third party, to protect the safety of the public or any person, or to prevent or stop activity we may consider to be, or to pose a risk of being, illegal, unethical or legally actionable activity.
Changing or Deleting Your Information
All registered users may review, update, correct or delete the Personal Information in their registration profile by contacting us. If you completely delete all such information, then your account may become deactivated. If you would like us to delete your account in our system, please contact us at info@abidonetwork.com. If you have a Contractor or Client profile on the Network, you may update the information stored in your profile by logging into your account. We will use commercially reasonable efforts to honor your request; however, your Personal Information may remain in our archives. We may retain an archived copy of your records as required by law or for legitimate business purposes. Please bear in mind that neither you nor Abido can delete all copies of information that has been previously shared with others on the Site.
Security
Abido takes the safeguarding your Personal Information very seriously. The security of such Personal Information is important to us. Remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. When you use the Network to share Work Product and Personal Information, that Work Product and Personal Information will be made available to the Users with whom you agree to share such information. These Users, and not Abido will be responsible for the privacy and security of your Work Product and Personal Information in accordance with the terms of any arrangement, including, without limitation, any non-disclosure agreement entered into with these other Users.
International Transfer
Your information may be transferred outside of the jurisdiction in which you reside and may be stored or otherwise maintained on — information systems and devices located in jurisdictions where the privacy laws differ from and in some cases may not be as protective as those in your jurisdiction. If you are located outside the United States and choose to provide information to us, Abido transfers Personal Information to the United States and processes it there. Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by your submission of such information represents your agreement to that transfer and your acknowledgement and acceptance of the fact that the treatment of such information will be governed by the applicable laws of the United States.
Links to Other Sites
Our Site contains links to other websites. If you choose to click on a third party link, you will be directed to that third party’s website. The fact that we link to a website is not an endorsement, authorization or representation of our affiliation with that third party, nor is it an endorsement of their privacy or information security policies or practices. We do not exercise control over third party websites. These other websites may place their own Cookies or other files on your computer, collect data or solicit Personal Information from you. Other sites follow different rules regarding the use or disclosure of the Personal Information you submit to them. We encourage you to read the privacy policies or statements of the other websites you visit.
Children
This Site is not directed to persons under 18. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 13. If a parent or guardian becomes aware that his or her child has provided us with Personal Information without their consent, he or she should contact us at info@abidonetwork.com. If we become aware that a child under 13 has provided us with Personal Information, we will use commercially reasonable efforts to delete such information from our files.
Contacting Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us by email at info@abidonetwork.com.