At the Ontario Genomics Institute ("OGI") we are committed to protecting your privacy, and support a general policy of openness about how we collect, use and disclose your personal information. BY VISITING OR REGISTERING AT THE SITE, YOU ARE ACCEPTING THE PRACTICES DESCRIBED IN THIS STATEMENT AND OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE.
The purpose of this Privacy Statement is to inform you about OGI's practices relating to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information that may be provided through access to or use of Ontario's Genomics Sector Innovation Network ("G-SIN") Portal (the "Site"). By using the Site, you consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information (as defined below) in accordance with the following terms and conditions.
This Privacy Statement also explains how you can contact us if you have a question about, want to make a change to or delete any personal information that OGI may be holding about you. We strongly recommend that you take the time to read this Privacy Statement and retain it for future reference.
Personal Information
Generally speaking, "personal information" means information about an identifiable individual.
What Personal Information We Collect
OGI collects your personal information on the Site from you, to be used for the purposes identified to you at the time of collection or as otherwise set out in this Privacy Statement. The Site provides data, resources and other information on the genomics sector in Ontario, and other services that aim to facilitate and support links between science, industry and capital within the sector.
The personal information collected may include at least some of the following: contact information (such as name, address, e-mail address and telephone number), biographical information and user behaviour information.
How We Use Your Personal Information
We use your personal information for the following purposes:
Registration
We may collect your personal information for registration on the Site. Registration enables you to post profiles and receive e-mail news notifications. When you register on the Site, we collect your name, title, business role, institution, institution type, full mailing address, website, e-mail address, phone, fax and desired G-SIN role (adding information regarding researchers, institutions, resources or projects). In addition, you have the option of receiving G-SIN news by e-mail.
OGI may disclose user information provided during registration to third parties who request such information for purposes related to facilitating and supporting links between science, industry and capital within the genomics sector. For example, OGI may use your information to connect researchers with projects or investors, or other similar services.
Profiles
You may choose to register with OGI for the purpose of posting a researcher, institution, resource or large-scale project profile. Profiles are posted for the following purposes: networking, attracting investment, providing basic information and resources relating to the genomics sector and informing the community about the activities that the sector is involved in. Such profiles generally contain contact and other personal information, biographical information, research profile and description of current projects. The information provided by you for these profiles will be posted on the Site and made accessible over the Internet to the general public. OGI cannot and will not assume any responsibility for holding information confidential where you have provided such information for use in your profile that you have agreed to make public through our Site.
If you choose to provide a personal e-mail address in a profile posted by you on the Site, please note that e-mail contact information provided by you will be visible to the broader public over the Internet. OGI cannot and will not assume any liability for damages or harm that occur or are experienced through the use of e-mail by Site users who contact you using your posted information.
OGI automatically tracks certain information through server logs when registered users visit the Site. The types of information collected include: visitor user account, pages visited, the date and time the Site was accessed, what actions were performed (e.g., submitted a form, followed a link, etc.), the IP address used to connect the visitor’s computer to the Internet, and information about browser type. OGI uses this information to analyze how the portal and OGI’s services are being used and for internal administrative purposes, including to modify and improve the services available through the Site. OGI does not collect any information contained on a visitor’s computer, information regarding from where visitor’s have accessed the Site, or the content of any communications between profile users initiated through the Site.
Email
The Site provides links for e-mail addresses that you may use to contact us directly with any questions or comments you may have about the Site, or about this Privacy Statement. Please note that e-mail sent over the Internet is not secure, and e-mail privacy cannot and will not be assured or guaranteed. E-mail and its contents are subject to your own risk and OGI cannot assume any responsibility for damages that are experienced through the use of e-mail.
Your comments and personal information sent using email may be stored for later use regarding improvements to the Site. OGI is interested in soliciting your feedback for implementation in Site improvements, including subsequent phases of the Site. With your express consent, we may attribute your comments in our marketing materials, including press releases, e-vites, and other promotional materials.
Aggregate Information
OGI does not report on individual user sessions; however, we use Internet tracking tools that are associated with standard Internet protocols and web-based systems for aggregate reporting. "Aggregate information" is standard visitor traffic information collected by web servers, and it helps to establish overall web traffic patterns. This aggregate information does not identify you and thus generally does not constitute personal information. We use aggregate information to better design the Site. Aggregate report logs include such information as total number of visitors, most visited sections and peak traffic times. Log files are used for recording information, including: server provider IP addresses; browser versions; referring websites; search terms used; average number of pages requested; average duration of visit; and total visitor traffic.
Cookies
When you visit the Site, we collect certain web traffic information by placing a small text file called a "first-party session (single visit) cookie" in the browser directory of your computer's hard drive. A cookie is a small piece of digital information that is stored by your computer's browser when you enter a website and that can later be retrieved by the website. The cookie cannot be read by any website other than the one that set up the cookie. A cookie is generally used to enhance your browsing experience by identifying you as a repeat visitor and allowing us to personalize your use of the Site. Some browsers can be set to reject all cookies. If you choose to modify your browser in this manner, some pages of the Site may not function properly.
When We Disclose Your Personal Information
Except with your consent, or as otherwise described below, we will not sell, license, trade or rent your personal information to or with others.
OGI may share personal information with third parties engaged to assist us in providing services to you or to carry out one or more of the purposes described above. These service providers are prohibited from using your personal information for any purpose other than to provide this assistance and are required to protect personal information disclosed by OGI and to comply with the general privacy principles described in this Privacy Statement.
OGI reserves the right to disclose personal information to a third party if a law, regulation, search warrant, subpoena or court order legally requires or authorizes us to do so.
OGI also reserves the right to disclose and/or transfer personal information to a third party in the event of a proposed or actual purchase, sale (including a liquidation, realization, foreclosure or repossession), lease, merger, amalgamation or any other type of acquisition, disposal, transfer, conveyance or financing of all or any portion of OGI or of any of the business or assets or shares of OGI or a division thereof in order for you to continue to receive the same products and services from the third party.
Knowledge and Consent
OGI collects personal information about you only when you voluntarily provide it. Typically, we will seek consent for the use or disclosure of your personal information at the time of collection. In certain circumstances, consent may be sought after the information has been collected but before use (for example, when we want to use information for a purpose not previously identified).
The form of consent that we seek, including whether it is express or implied, will largely depend on the sensitivity of the personal information and the reasonable expectations of the individual in the circumstances.
You may withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. If you wish to withdraw your consent, please contact our Privacy Officer at (416) 673-6586. We will inform you of the implications of withdrawing consent.
We will not, as a condition of the supply of a service, require you to consent to the collection, use or disclosure of information beyond that required to fulfill the explicitly specified and legitimate purposes for which the information is being provided.
Use or Disclosure for Marketing Purposes
If you have not opted out of receiving marketing materials at the time of your registration, we may also use (but will not disclose) your personal information to promote and market additional goods, services and special offers from us, our affiliates and/or our business associates (namely, pharmaceutical companies, venture capitalists, research institutions, hospitals and other government entities), including by means of direct marketing.
You can choose not to allow us to use your personal information for direct marketing purposes by contacting us as outlined below (see "Contacting Us").
How We Protect Your Personal Information
OGI makes commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that personal information collected from you is protected against loss and unauthorized access. This protection applies in relation to information stored in both electronic and hard copy form. Access to your personal information is restricted to selected employees or representatives. In addition, OGI employs generally accepted information security techniques, such as firewalls, access control procedures and Secure Socket Layer Encryption, to protect personal information against loss and unauthorized access.
Links to Third Party Sites
This website may offer links to other third party websites. You should be aware that operators of linked websites may also collect your personal information (including information generated through the use of cookies) when you link to their websites. OGI is not responsible for how such third parties collect, use or disclose your personal information, so it is important to familiarize yourself with their privacy policies before providing them with your personal information.
Retention and Storage of Your Personal Information
OGI retains your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose(s) for which it was collected and to comply with applicable laws, and your consent to such purposes(s) remains valid after termination of our relationship with you.
Your personal information may be processed and stored outside of the province in which you reside and/or outside of Canada by us, an affiliate or an unaffiliated service provider for the purposes set out in this Privacy Statement and, under the laws of these other jurisdictions, in certain circumstances foreign courts, law enforcement agencies or regulatory agencies may be entitled to access your personal information.
Changes to this Privacy Statement
OGI approaches our communications on the Internet with respect for, and commitment to, protecting your privacy rights. OGI reserves the right to modify this Privacy Statement at any time without notice to reflect changes in legal or regulatory obligations or changes in the manner in which we deal with personal information. The Privacy Statement posted at any time or from time to time via this website shall be deemed to be the Privacy Statement then in effect. Your continued use of the Site following the posting of the updated Privacy Statement constitutes your acceptance of the changes; however, OGI will treat your personal information in a manner consistent with the Privacy Statement under which it was collected, unless OGI has your consent to treat it otherwise.
Correcting or Updating Your Information
You can help us maintain the accuracy of your personal information by notifying us of any changes to this information. You may contact OGI as outlined below (see "Contacting Us") to request access to or correction or update of your personal information.
Contacting Us
In the event that you have any questions about OGI's Privacy Statement or if you have reason to believe that OGI may have failed to adhere to this Privacy Statement, you may contact us at:
Ontario Genomics Institute
MaRS Centre, Heritage Building
101 College Street, Suite HL50
Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1L7
Attention: Privacy Officer
Telephone: (416) 673-6586
Fax: (416) 977-8342
Web: www.ontariogenomics.ca
E-Mail: info@ontariogenomics.ca
