Privacy

Effective as of June 1, 2011

IGAF Polaris values the privacy of its members, affiliates, and visitors to its websites and are strongly committed to each visitor's right to privacy. This Privacy Policy has been developed as a codification of IGAF Polaris's commitment in this area and covers the site accessed by entering http://www.accountants.org or http://www.igafpolaris.org in your web browser. This Privacy Policy explains Accountants.org’s information gathering and handling practices, and it can be linked to from the bottom of every page contained within these sites. If you have any questions regarding IGAF Polaris's Privacy Policy or do not feel that your concerns have been otherwise addressed, please contact us by sending an email to info@igafpolaris.org.

IGAF Polaris has been awarded TRUSTe’s Privacy Seal signifying that this privacy policy and practices have been reviewed by TRUSTe for compliance with TRUSTe's program requirements including transparency, accountability, and choice regarding the collection and use of your personal information. The TRUSTe program only covers the site www.accountants.org and does not cover any other sites that may be owned or controlled by us. TRUSTe’s mission, as an independent third party, is to accelerate online trust among consumers and organizations globally through its leading privacy trustmark and innovative trust solutions. If you have questions or complaints regarding our privacy policy or practice, please contact us at info@igafpolaris.org. If you are not satisfied with our response you can contact TRUSTe here.

IGAF Polaris complies with the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework and the U.S.-Swiss Safe Harbor Framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of personal information from European Union member countries and Switzerland. IGAF Polaris has certified that it adheres to the Safe Harbor Privacy Principles of notice, choice, onward transfer, security, data integrity, access, and enforcement. To learn more about the Safe Harbor program, and to view IGAF Polaris’s certification, please visit http://export.gov/safeharbor.

Consent – Public/Private Site

By using the Accountants.org website, you signify your acceptance of our Privacy Policy. Once you have a Username and password, this Username and password will enable you to login to Accountants.org, and it also serves as the only means of authenticating your identity on Accountants.org. Whether you choose to search our public site or to login as a member to our private site, you are consenting to Accountants.org’s information collection and use in accordance with its Privacy Policy. Members of IGAF Polaris will have the ability to create personal profiles on Accountants.org, including information such as a personal picture, contact information and other business related details.

Personal Information Collected

We collect information:

• When you register an account to become an Accountants.org User (“User”), such as your name, e-mail, employer, country, and a password.
• When you add to your profile with further information about yourself or your private contacts, join or post to Accountants.org Groups and other member-to-member communication. We allow you to add a personal photo of yourself to your profile
• Like all websites, we automatically receive internet use information from you, including items like your IP address, the URLs of sites from which you arrive or leave the Accountants.org website, your type of browser, your operating system, your mobile provider, your mobile device, and your ISP.

Uses of Personal Information

We use the information you provide to:

• Enable you to share your information and communicate with other Users;
• Administer your account with us and customize the service we provide to you and other Users;
• Send you notices through the Accountants.org website or communications through email;
• Allow you to sign up for events, join groups, find people that you may know, request assistance
• Allow others to search for an accountant and/or a firm based on industry, practice area or location.

Disclosure of Information to Third Parties

We do not sell, rent, or otherwise provide your personal identifiable information to any third parties other than as disclosed within this privacy policy.

We may provide your personal information to companies that provide services to help us with our business activities such as an email service provider to send emails out on our behalf and a credit card processing company to fulfill payments. These companies are authorized to use your personal information only as necessary to provide these services to us.

We may also disclose your personal information as required by law, such as to comply with a subpoena, or similar legal process, when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud, or respond to a government request.

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, you will be notified via email and/or prominent notice on our Web site of any change in ownership or uses of your personal information, as well as any choices you may have regarding your personal information.

Forward to a Friend

If you chose to forward a profile to a friend, we will ask for your friend’s name and email address. We will automatically send your friend a one-time email inviting them to visit the site and profile you recommended. We store this information for the sole purpose of sending this one-time email and tracking the success of our referral program.

Cookies

A cookie is a small text file that is stored on a User’s computer for record-keeping purposes. We use cookies on this site. We do not link the information we store in cookies to any personal information you submit on the site other than your email and password so that you do not have to enter it each time. We use cookies and other technologies to recognize you and customize your experience.

Your Information Choices

You can:

• Review, enhance, edit or delete inaccuracies in your personal information through your personal profile page;
• Control the messages you receive from Accountants.org and other Users and how these messages are sent;
• Change your settings to control visibility and accessibility through our website

Site Access

In order to gain login access to the site and create a User profile, your firm must be a member of IGAF Polaris. Requests for site access will be sent to and approved by your Accountants.org site firm administrator within 5 business days. If you do not receive an approved invitation to access the site within 5 business days, you should contact IGAF Polaris at info@igafpolaris.org. We will respond to your access request within 30 days.

Privacy

Accountants.org is the communication and social networking website for IGAF Polaris member firms and their staff, and also serves as a tool for general Web Users to find accounting professionals. As the purpose of the site is to connect Users with one another, all personal information added to your profile will be visible to other Users to some extent. Site Users that are not logged in will be able to view information pertaining to your professional experience and firm. Users that are logged in will be able to view your professional experience and contact information. Logged in Users with whom you have established a site connection will be able to view not only your professional experience and contact information, but also your social networking profile information. If you do not wish to allow other users to view your profile please do not sign up for the site.

Data Retention

We will retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services to you and your firm. We will also retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

If you feel that an unauthorized User profile was created for you, if you wish for your profile to be removed from the site, or you want to be removed from our email communications, please contact us at privacy@igafpolaris.org.

Private Messages

Our Web site offers accessible special interest groups and private messages. You should be aware that any information you provide in these areas may be read, collected, and used by other site Users who access them. To request removal of your personal information from these areas of the site, contact us at privacy@igafpolaris.org. 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.

Your Obligations to Other Users

Do not abuse the Accountants.org service by using it to spam, abuse, harass, or otherwise violate the User Terms & Conditions or Privacy Policy.

Communications from IGAF Polaris and/or Accountants.org

Customer Service
We communicate with Users on a regular basis, responding to the general inquiries and service requests submitted through the Web site. This communication will take place via email or phone, in accordance with the User’s wishes.

Changes to Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy to reflect changes to our information practices. 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 Site prior to the change becoming effective. We encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information on our privacy practices.

Security

Personal information you provide will be secured with industry standards in technology. Since the internet is not a 100% secure environment, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to Accountants.org. There is no guarantee that information may not be accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed by breach of any of our physical, technical, or managerial safeguards. You are responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your unique password and account information and for controlling access to your email communications at all times.

Legal Disclaimer

Though we make every effort to preserve User privacy, we may need to disclose personal information when required by law wherein we have a good-faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with a current judicial proceeding, a court order or legal process served on our website.

Contact Us
IGAF Polaris
18001 Old Cutler Road, Suite 641
Palmetto Bay, FL 33157 USA
info@igafpolaris.org