ONLINE PRIVACY POLICY AGREEMENT
July 22, 2024
The Solar Community (TSC) values its users' privacy. This Privacy Policy ("Policy") will help
you understand how we collect and use personal information from those who visit our website
or make use of our online facilities and services, and what we will and will not do with the
information we collect. Our Policy has been designed and created to ensure those affiliated
with The Solar Community of our commitment and realization of our obligation not only to
meet, but to exceed, most existing privacy standards.
We reserve the right to make changes to this Policy at any given time. If you want to make
sure that you are up to date with the latest changes, we advise you to frequently visit this page.
If at any point in time The Solar Community decides to make use of any personally
identifiable information on file, in a manner vastly different from that which was stated when
this information was initially collected, the user or users shall be promptly notified by email.
Users at that time shall have the option as to whether to permit the use of their information in
this separate manner.
This Policy applies to The Solar Community, and it governs any and all data collection and
usage by us. Through the use of www.thesolarcommunity.com, you are therefore consenting to
the data collection procedures expressed in this Policy.
Please note that this Policy does not govern the collection and use of information by
companies that The Solar Community does not control, nor by individuals not employed or
managed by us. If you visit a website that we mention or link to, be sure to review its privacy
policy before providing the site with information. It is highly recommended and suggested that
you review the privacy policies and statements of any website you choose to use or frequent to
better understand the way in which websites garner, make use of and share the information
collected.
Specifically, this Policy will inform you of the following
1. What personally identifiable information is collected from you through our website;
2. Why we collect personally identifiable information and the legal basis for such collection;
3. How we use the collected information and with whom it may be shared;
4. What choices are available to you regarding the use of your data; and
5. The security procedures in place to protect the misuse of your information.
Information We Collect
It is always up to you whether to disclose personally identifiable information to us, although if
you elect not to do so, we reserve the right not to register you as a user or provide you with
any products or services. This website collects various types of information, such as:
· Voluntarily provided information which may include your name, address, email
address, billing and/or credit card information etc. which may be used when you
purchase products and/or services and to deliver the services you have requested.
· Information automatically collected when visiting our website, which may include
cookies, third party tracking technologies and server logs.
In addition, The Solar Community may have the occasion to collect non-personal anonymous
demographic information, such as age, gender, household income, political affiliation, race
and religion, as well as the type of browser you are using, IP address, or type of operating
system, which will assist us in providing and maintaining superior quality service.
The Solar Community may also deem it necessary, from time to time, to follow websites that
our users may frequent to gleam what types of services and products may be the most popular
to customers or the general public.
Please rest assured that this site will only collect personal information that you knowingly and
willingly provide to us by way of surveys, completed membership forms, and emails. It is the
intent of this site to use personal information only for the purpose for which it was requested,
and any additional uses specifically provided for on this Policy.
Why We Collect Information and For How Long
We are collecting your data for several reasons:
· To better understand your needs and provide you with the services you have requested;
· To fulfill our legitimate interest in improving our services and products;
· To send you promotional emails containing information we think you may like when
we have your consent to do so;
· To contact you to fill out surveys or participate in other types of market research, when
we have your consent to do so;
· To customize our website according to your online behavior and personal preferences.
The data we collect from you will be stored for no longer than necessary. The length of time
we retain said information will be determined based upon the following criteria: the length of
time your personal information remains relevant; the length of time it is reasonable to keep
records to demonstrate that we have fulfilled our duties and obligations; any limitation periods
within which claims might be made; any retention periods prescribed by law or recommended
by regulators, professional bodies or associations; the type of contract we have with you, the
existence of your consent, and our legitimate interest in keeping such information as stated in
this Policy.
Use of Information Collected
The Solar Community does not now, nor will it in the future, sell, rent or lease any of its
customer lists and/or names to any third parties.
The Solar Community may collect and may make use of personal information to assist in the
operation of our website and to ensure delivery of the services you need and request. At times,
we may find it necessary to use personally identifiable information as a means to keep you
informed of other possible products and/or services that may be available to you from
www.thesolarcommunity.com
The Solar Community may also be in contact with you with regards to completing surveys
and/or research questionnaires related to your opinion of current or potential future services
that may be offered.
The Solar Community may feel it necessary, from time to time, to contact you on behalf of our
other external business partners with regards to a potential new offer which may be of interest
to you. If you consent or show interest in presented offers, then, at that time, specific
identifiable information, such as name, email address and/or telephone number, may be shared
with the third party.
The Solar Community uses various third-party social media features including but not limited
to https://www.facebook.com/Thesolarcommunity/,https://www.instagram.com/
thesolarcommunity and other interactive programs. These may collect your IP address and
require cookies to work properly. These services are governed by the privacy policies of the
providers and are not within The Solar Community's control.
Disclosure of Information
The Solar Community may not use or disclose the information provided by you except under
the following circumstances:
· as necessary to provide services or products you have ordered;
· in other ways described in this Policy or to which you have otherwise consented;
· in the aggregate with other information in such a way so that your identity cannot
reasonably be determined;
· as required by law, or in response to a subpoena or search warrant;
· to outside auditors who have agreed to keep the information confidential;
· as necessary to enforce the Terms of Service;
· as necessary to maintain, safeguard and preserve all the rights and property of The
Solar Community.
Non-Marketing Purposes
The Solar Community greatly respects your privacy. We do maintain and reserve the right to
contact you if needed for non-marketing purposes (such as bug alerts, security breaches,
account issues, and/or changes in The Solar Community products and services). In certain
circumstances, we may use our website, newspapers, or other public means to post a notice.
Children under the age of 13
The Solar Community's website is not directed to, and does not knowingly collect personal
identifiable information from, children under the age of thirteen (13). If it is determined that
such information has been inadvertently collected on anyone under the age of thirteen (13), we
shall immediately take the necessary steps to ensure that such information is deleted from our
system's database, or in the alternative, that verifiable parental consent is obtained for the use
and storage of such information. Anyone under the age of thirteen (13) must seek and obtain
parent or guardian permission to use this website.
Unsubscribe or Opt-Out
All users and visitors to our website have the option to discontinue receiving communications
from us by way of email or newsletters. To discontinue or unsubscribe from our website please
send an email that you wish to unsubscribe to [email protected]. If you
wish to unsubscribe or opt-out from any third-party websites, you must go to that specific
website to unsubscribe or opt-out. The Solar Community will continue to adhere to this Policy
with respect to any personal information previously collected.
Links to Other Websites
Our website does contain links to affiliate and other websites. The Solar Community does not
claim nor accept responsibility for any privacy policies, practices and/or procedures of other
such websites. Therefore, we encourage all users and visitors to be aware when they leave our
website and to read the privacy statements of every website that collects personally
identifiable information. This Privacy Policy Agreement applies only and solely to the
information collected by our website.
Notice to European Union Users
The Solar Community's operations are located primarily in the United States. If you provide
information to us, the information will be transferred out of the European Union (EU) and sent
to the United States. (The adequacy decision on the EU-US Privacy became operational on
August 1, 2016. This framework protects the fundamental rights of anyone in the EU whose
personal data is transferred to the United States for commercial purposes. It allows the free
transfer of data to companies that are certified in the US under the Privacy Shield.) By
providing personal information to us, you are consenting to its storage and use as described in
this Policy.
Security
The Solar Community takes precautions to protect your information. When you submit
sensitive information via the website, your information is protected both online and offline.
Wherever we collect sensitive information (e.g. credit card information), that information is
encrypted and transmitted to us in a secure way. You can verify this by looking for a lock icon
in the address bar and looking for "https" at the beginning of the address of the webpage.
While we use encryption to protect sensitive information transmitted online, we also protect
your information offline. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job
(for example, billing or customer service) are granted access to personally identifiable
information. The computers and servers in which we store personally identifiable information
are kept in a secure environment. This is all done to prevent any loss, misuse, unauthorized
access, disclosure or modification of the user's personal information under our control.
The company also uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL) for authentication and private
communications to build users' trust and confidence in the internet and website use by
providing simple and secure access and communication of credit card and personal
information.
Acceptance of Terms
By using this website, you are hereby accepting the terms and conditions stipulated within the
Privacy Policy Agreement. If you are not in agreement with our terms and conditions, then
you should refrain from further use of our sites. In addition, your continued use of our website
following the posting of any updates or changes to our terms and conditions shall mean that
you agree and acceptance of such changes.
How to Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Privacy Policy Agreement related to our
website, please feel free to contact us at the following email, telephone number or mailing
address.
Email: [email protected]
Telephone Number: 3159209291
Mailing Address:
The Solar Community
26 Public Square Ste 14
Watertown, New York
13601
GDPR Disclosure:
If you answered "yes" to the question Does your website comply with the General Data Protection Regulation
("GDPR")? then the Privacy Policy above includes language that is meant to account for such compliance.
Nevertheless, in order to be fully compliant with GDPR regulations your company must fulfill other requirements
such as: (i) doing an assessment of data processing activities to improve security; (ii) have a data processing
agreement with any third party vendors; (iii) appoint a data protection officer for the company to monitor GDPR
compliance; (iv) designate a representative based in the EU under certain circumstances; and (v) have a protocol
in place to handle a potential data breach. For more details on how to make sure your company is fully compliant
with GDPR, please visit the official website at https://gdpr.eu. FormSwift and its subsidiaries are in no way
responsible for determining whether or not your company is in fact compliant with GDPR and takes no
responsibility for the use you make of this Privacy Policy or for any potential liability your company may face in
relation to any GDPR compliance issues.
COPPA Compliance Disclosure:
This Privacy Policy presumes that your website is not directed at children under the age of 13 and does not
knowingly collect personal identifiable information from them or allow others to do the same through your site.
If this is not true for your website or online service and you do collect such information (or allow others to do so),
please be aware that you must be compliant with all COPPA regulations and guidelines in order to avoid
violations which could lead to law enforcement actions, including civil penalties.
In order to be fully compliant with COPPA your website or online service must fulfill other requirements such as:
(i) posting a privacy policy which describes not only your practices, but also the practices of any others collecting
personal information on your site or service — for example, plug-ins or ad networks; (ii) include a prominent link
to your privacy policy anywhere you collect personal information from children; (iii) include a description of
parental rights (e.g. that you won't require a child to disclose more information than is reasonably necessary, that
they can review their child's personal information, direct you to delete it, and refuse to allow any further
collection or use of the child's information, and the procedures to exercise their rights); (iv) give parents "direct
notice" of your information practices before collecting information from their children; and (v) obtain the parents'
"verifiable consent" before collecting, using or disclosing personal information from a child. For more
information on the definition of these terms and how to make sure your website or online service is fully
compliant with COPPA please visit https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/childrens-onlineprivacy-
protection-rule-six-step-compliance. FormSwift and its subsidiaries are in no way responsible for
determining whether or not your company is in fact compliant with COPPA and takes no responsibility for the
use you make of this Privacy Policy or for any potential liability your company may face in relation to any
COPPA compliance issues.