Privacy Policy

This privacy policy (this "Policy") explains how we collect, use or communicate the personal you may provide on the blackbusinessatlas.com website or by using our services (our "Website" or our "Services"). This Policy also contains information about your rights regarding your personal information. In this Policy, when we refer to "we," "us," or "our" we mean Black Business Atlas Inc.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about any aspect of this Policy, please contact us at:

Attn: Privacy Officer
privacy@blackbusinessatlas.com

1. What is Personal Information

When we speak of personal information, we mean any information that can, directly or indirectly, be used to identify you. The definition of personal information may vary from one jurisdiction to another, and as such, may be protected in a different way under applicable privacy laws. Therefore, depending on where you live, you may not have the same rights regarding your personal information.

2. When does this Policy apply?

This Policy applies to personal information we collect and process about you during any interaction you may have with us. It applies when you visit our Website, when you access our information to shareholders and our pages through third-party social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and so on.
It also applies when you communicate with us, when you apply for a career opportunity, you sign up to receive the Black Business Atlas newsletter or register for an online account.

3. When does it not apply?

The Website contains links to other resources that we don't own or control. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other resources or third parties. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of each resource that may collect personal information.

4. What personal information do we collect about you?

Usage information

Examples: Technical logs, IP address, browser type and configuration, operating system, number of visitors, pages viewed, length of visits, geographical location, language preferences and device information.

Our top priority is security and, as such, we exercise the no logs policy. We may process only minimal user data, only as much as it is absolutely necessary to maintain the Website. Information collected automatically is used only to identify potential cases of abuse and establish statistical information regarding the usage and traffic of the Website and Services. This statistical information is not otherwise aggregated in such a way that would identify any particular user of the system.

We use cookies to get more information about the visits on our Website, but also to conduct interest-based advertising based on your browsing habits. We don't have access to this data directly, but we use third parties' cookies that are installed on our Website and elsewhere. They allow these third parties to provide us with insights on visits, and they allow us to broadcast advertising on media based on the interests of individuals. Click here for more information about interest-based advertising.

Information you provide directly to us

You can access and use the Website and Services without telling us who you are or revealing any information by which someone could identify you as a specific, identifiable individual. If, however, you wish to use some of the features on the Website, you may be asked to provide certain personal information (for example, your name and e-mail address). We receive and store any information you knowingly provide to us when you create an account, publish content, or fill any online forms on the Website.

Account information

Examples: name, e-mail address, password, and telephone number.

If you choose to create an account on our Website to access our online Services, we collect the information that you share with us, such as your name, email, telephone number and password, to create this account and manage your plan. Creating an account with us will also allow you to customize your business page.

Purchase information

Examples: purchased items, credit card information, delivery address, and transaction history.

We collect financial information about you when you make purchases through our Services. This can include the purchase of a plan to display your business to our directory. To complete your purchase of Services and process your credit card information, we use a third-party payment service provider. If you pay online, you pay through a secured digital portal directly into Billmate's environment, and we cannot see your full credit card numbers and your CVV. We collect information about your purchase history with us, and whether Members' fees have been paid.

Employment information

Examples: education information, professional experiences, contact information.

If you apply for one of our career opportunities, or if you participate in our BBA Cares program, we will collect the personal information you share with us, including any attachments and content. We will only use this information to make employment or caritative decisions.

Communication information

Examples: contact information, messages.

If you communicate with us by e-mail, social media, through our Website or otherwise, we will collect the personal information that you share with us to respond to your communication.

Personal information of children

We don't knowingly collect any personal information from children under the age of 18. If you're under the age of 18, please do not submit any personal information through the Website and Services. We encourage parents and legal guardians to monitor their children's Internet usage and to help enforce this Policy by instructing their children never to provide personal information through the Website and Services without their permission. If you have reason to believe that a child under the age of 18 has provided personal information to us through the Website and Services, please contact us. You must also be old enough to consent to the processing of your personal information in your country (in some countries we may allow your parent or guardian to do so on your behalf).

5. Do we use cookies, and for what purposes?

We install our own cookies and third-party cookies on your browser or device through our Website. Some of these cookies are uninstalled automatically at the end of your browsing session. Others are persistent, which means that they remain installed for up to 24 months unless you uninstall them. Click here to learn how to manage your preferences regarding our use of cookies.

We use cookies for our Website to function as intended, to conduct marketing, to analyze our performance and to ensure that our Website are secure. Cookies are also useful to identify bugs and errors. The Website and Services do not track its visitors over time and across third party websites. However, some third-party sites may keep track of your browsing activities when they serve you content, which enables them to tailor what they present to you.

We collect cookies in each of the following categories:

Essential cookies: Essential cookies are necessary to operate the core functions of our Website. These include login cookies, session ID cookies, language cookies as well as security cookies.
Functional cookies: Functional cookies are used to provide you with certain website functionality, and to remember website preferences, consents, and configurations.
Analytical cookies: Analytical cookies are used to generate aggregated statistical data about traffic and behavior of our Website' users. For instance, we use Google Analytics to determine how visitors use our Website, such as with the number of visitors, from where our visitors come from on the web, the pages they visited and how much time was spent on our Website. We only see this data in an aggregated and traffic-based format, and we cannot see each visitor's data individually.
Marketing cookies: We use marketing cookies to serve you ads and marketing materials that better align to your interests. We also use analytic cookies to understand our marketing cookies and limit the number of times you see an ad, measure the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns and adjust content. Click here to learn more about interest-based advertising and the way we use marketing cookies for this purpose.

6. What is interested-based advertising, and do we conduct any?

Interest-based advertising (also known as targeted or behavioral advertising) means that your preferences and interests are collected through cookies or otherwise, and then used to serve you advertising and marketing materials that are relevant to you (based on those preferences and interests). Without interest-based advertising, you would still be getting ads when browsing the Internet. However, these ads would not be personalized based on your preferences and interests – and so, they would be less relevant to you, and less effective for us. For instance, we use Google Ads to provide you with ads based on your browsing history and search requests.

You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser, such as by uninstalling and blocking certain cookies. Click on your browser below to obtain instructions.

You can install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on, which prevents the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js and dc.js) from sharing information with Google Analytics about visits activity. For more information on the privacy practices of Google, please visit the Google Privacy & Terms.

To know more about why you are seeing an ad, how to control and/or opt-out of marketing cookies and tracking technologies for interest-based advertising, please visit the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada website for more information on the AdChoices Tools. You can also consult Google Ads.

Some of the cookies we use are essential or recommended for the use of the Services, and you may not be able to access and use all the Services without these cookies.

8. How long do we keep your personal information?

We retain your personal information for as long as required for the purpose for which it was collected, or longer if we are required or permitted to do so under applicable laws. If you unsubscribe from our newsletters, we'll delete personal information about you without undue delays.

We generally identify to whom, and for what purposes, we disclose your personal information, at the time we collect such information from you or otherwise obtain your consent to such disclosure. For example, we may disclose your personal information to:

Payment processors, such as Billmate

We may also transfer your personal information to service providers that are assisting us in our operations. We ensure that those service providers are subject to appropriate privacy standards. Examples of our service providers include:

Hosting/infrastructure/storage providers
Communications services providers
Analytical service providers
Online engagement service providers
Membership management service providers
Ad conversion tracking and personalized content service providers

We may use and disclose your information when we believe such use or disclosure is permitted, necessary or appropriate: (a) under applicable law; (b) to comply with legal process; (c) to respond to requests from public and government authorities; (d) to enforce or apply our policies and agreements; (e) to protect our rights, operations or property; (f) to collect amounts owed to us; (g) to allow us to pursue available remedies or limit the damages that we may sustain; (h) to protect the safety of our users; (i) to address, prevent or stop fraud or other activity that we consider to be illegal or unethical; or (j) to address an emergency involving danger of death or serious harm.

10. How do we protect your personal information?

We secure information you provide on computer servers in a controlled, secure environment, protected from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. We maintain reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards in an effort to protect against unauthorized access, use, modification, and disclosure of personal information in its control and custody. However, no data transmission over the Internet or wireless network can be guaranteed. Therefore, while we strive to protect your personal information, you acknowledge that (i) there are security and privacy limitations of the Internet which are beyond our control; (ii) the security, integrity, and privacy of any and all information and data exchanged between you and the Website and Services cannot be guaranteed; and (iii) any such information and data may be viewed or tampered with in transit by a third party, despite best efforts.

Breach notification

In the event we become aware that the security of the Website and Services has been compromised or users personal information has been disclosed to unrelated third parties as a result of external activity, including, but not limited to, security attacks or fraud, we reserve the right to take reasonably appropriate measures, including, but not limited to, investigation and reporting, as well as notification to and cooperation with law enforcement authorities. In the event of a confidentiality incident, we will make reasonable efforts to notify affected individuals if we believe that the incident presents a risk of serious injury to the user or if notice is otherwise required by law. When we do, we'll post a notice on the Website and send you an email.

11. Where do we store your personal information?

Our Website is hosted in Canada, but we can use service providers that are in other regions of the world. The laws in place in their country may differ from those where you are located. We enter into agreements with our service providers so that they ensure a consistent level of protection for your personal information.

12. How can you unsubscribe from our communications?

We offer electronic newsletters to which you may voluntarily subscribe at any time. We are committed to keeping your e-mail address confidential and will not disclose your email address to any third parties except as allowed in the information use and processing section. We will maintain the information sent via e-mail in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

In compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act, all e-mails sent from us will clearly state who the e-mail is from and provide clear information on how to contact the sender. You may choose to stop receiving our newsletter or marketing emails by following the unsubscribe instructions included in these emails or by contacting us. However, you will continue to receive essential transactional emails.

13. What are your rights in respect to your personal information?

You have rights when it comes to your personal information! However, these rights may vary depending on where you are. These rights generally include the right to access and correct your personal information, as well as the right to withdraw your consent. Some jurisdictions offer additional rights, such as the right to object to the processing of your personal information, the right to data portability and the right to restrict the processing of your personal information. If you would like to exercise a right over your personal information, you can reach out to us directly and we'll make a point to try to help you!

We'll make sure to get back to you within 30 days at most unless you agree to give us more time because the request is complex. If we can't respond to your request, we'll explain you why, and try to find a solution with you. Even so, you should know that you have the right to challenge our decision or make complaints to the authorities. If you are in Canada, you can reach out to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at www.priv.gc.ca.

If you live in Québec, you can also read about your privacy rights on the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec (Commission) website or reach them at:

Québec
525, René-Lévesque East Blvd., Suite 2.36
Québec, Québec G1R 5S9
Telephone: 418 528-7741

Montréal
2045 Stanley Street, Suite 900
Montréal, Québec H3A 2V4
Telephone: 514 873-4196

Toll Free: 1 888 528-7741
Email: cai.communications@cai.gouv.qc.ca
Hours of Operation: 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. / 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

14. Do we update this Policy?

From time to time we may update this Policy. If we decide to do so we will post the changes on our Website so that you're always aware of what personal information we collect about you, and how we use it. You can always see the previous versions of this Policy by clicking the link at the top of this page. If we need to, we'll e-mail you with details of those changes and/or ask you to confirm that you're happy with them.