Privacy policy
The DataStream Initiative is a charitable organization dedicated to improving access to water data and advancing collaborative water protection ("Charity” or "We").
This policy describes:
- How we collect, use, disclose, and protect the personal information of our users and website visitors ("you").
- Describes the types of personal information we may collect from you or that you may provide when you visit any of the DataStream websites and use any DataStream services. DataStream can be accessed here: DataStream.org, Mackenzie, Atlantic, Lake Winnipeg, Great Lakes, and Pacific (collectively, the “Website”).
- Our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information.
We will only use your personal information in accordance with this policy unless otherwise required by applicable law. We take steps to ensure that the personal information that we collect about you is adequate, relevant, not excessive, and used for limited purposes. We may link to websites or applications outside of our control, including those set out here, which may have their own policies. Our Website and services are also subject to any applicable Terms of Use.
Please read this policy carefully. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, your choice is not to use our Website. By accessing or using this Website, you indicate that you understand, accept, and consent to the practices described in this policy and as they may change from time to time.
Collection and use of your personal information
Privacy laws in Canada generally define "personal information" as any information about an identifiable individual, which includes information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact, or locate a single person. Personal information does not include business contact information, including your name, title, or business contact information.
We collect personal information you provide directly to us when you register for or use our services or fill out our surveys. We collect personal information we get from third parties or from you when you visit our Website, or you use our services. Unless the personal information collected or compiled is sensitive in nature, we assume your consent for all purposes set out in this policy. If it is reasonable to do so, we will provide further notice at the point of collection. If personal information collected or compiled is sensitive in nature, or it is otherwise reasonable in the circumstances, we will provide you with an opportunity to expressly agree, such as a check box.
| Commonly Collected Personal Information | Purpose |
|---|---|
Contact and login information such as name, username and email address when you provide it to us. |
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Your device and location. We collect information about your device such as IP address, browser type, device type and operating system. We also collect information about your location derived from your IP address. |
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Resumes and contact information you send to us when applying for employment. |
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Survey information when you provide it to us. |
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Contact and financial information. |
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You may also provide information to be published or displayed (hereinafter, "posted") on public areas of the Website or transmitted to other users of the Website or third parties (collectively, "User Contributions"). Your User Contributions are posted on and transmitted to others at your own risk. Additionally, we cannot control the actions of other users of the Website with whom you may choose to share your User Contributions. If you delete your User Contributions from the Website, copies of your User Contributions may remain viewable in cached and archived pages or might have been copied or stored by other Website users. You will be required to abide by the Terms of Use for all User Contributions.
Additionally, we may use personal information we have collected from or about you for non-promotional communications, to enforce our terms of use, other administrative reasons including maintaining appropriate records, and in any other way we may describe when you provide your personal information to us.
Our use of cookies: A cookie is a small file placed on the hard drive of your computer. We use a cookie to maintain your authenticated session when you log into our Website.
Accessing your personal information and withdrawing consent
We provide an opportunity for any account holders to manage their personal information on the Website, and for any user to unsubscribe from our newsletters or opt-out of emails on an ongoing basis using the unsubscribe mechanism at the bottom of our e-mails, or e-mailing team@DataStream.org.
We will provide access to your personal information, subject to exceptions set out in applicable privacy legislation including information that is protected by solicitor-client privilege, part of a formal dispute resolution process, about another individual that would reveal their personal information or confidential commercial information or prohibitively expensive to provide.
We may request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and your right to access, and to provide you with the personal information that we hold about you or make your requested changes. Applicable law may allow or require us to refuse to provide you with access to some or all the personal information that we hold about you, or we may have destroyed, erased, or made your personal information anonymous in accordance with our record retention obligations and practices. If we cannot provide you with access to your personal information, we will inform you of the reasons why, subject to any legal or regulatory restrictions.
Where you have provided your consent to the collection, use, and transfer of your personal information, you may have the legal right to withdraw your consent under certain circumstances. To withdraw your consent, if applicable, contact us at team@DataStream.org. Please note that if you withdraw your consent, we may not be able to provide you with a particular product or service. We will explain the impact to you at the time to help you with your decision.
Disclosure of your personal information
We may disclose aggregated information about our visitors and users, and information that does not identify any individual, without restriction.
We may disclose personal information that we collect, or you provide as described in this privacy policy:
- With your consent.
- To fulfill the purpose for which you provide it.
- To affiliates including The Gordon Foundation.
- To contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support our business (such as analytics that assist us with Website improvement and optimization) and who are contractually obligated to keep personal information confidential, use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them, and to process the personal information with the same standards set out in this policy.
- In accordance with applicable law, to a buyer or other successor in the event of a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all the Charity’s assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which personal information held by The DataStream Initiative about our users is among the assets transferred.
- For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information.
- We may also disclose your personal information:
- To comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request, in accordance with applicable law.
- To enforce or apply our Terms of Use and other agreements.
- If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of The DataStream Initiative, our users, or others.
Your personal information may be processed and stored outside of the province in which you reside and/or outside of Canada by us or a third-party service provider for the purposes set out in this policy. Under the laws of these jurisdictions, in certain circumstances foreign courts, law enforcement or regulatory agencies may be entitled to access your personal information.
Data security
We use physical, electronic, and administrative measures designed to secure your personal information from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure.
The safety and security of your information also depends on you. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password for access to certain parts of our Website, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share your password with anyone.
Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the Internet is not completely secure. Although we do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information transmitted to our Website. Any transmission of personal information is at your own risk. We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the Website.
Data retention
Except as otherwise permitted or required by applicable law or regulation, we will only retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. We may anonymize your personal information so that it can no longer be associated with you. We reserve the right to use such anonymous and de-identified data for any legitimate purpose without further notice to you or your consent.
Children under the age of 13
Our Website is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 13, do not use or provide any information on this Website or on or through any of its features/register on the Website, or provide any information about yourself to us, including your name, address, telephone number, email address, or any screen name or username you may use. If we learn we have collected or received personal information from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information. If you believe we might have any information from or about a child under the age of 13, please contact us at team@DataStream.org.
Privacy officer contact information
We welcome your questions, comments, and requests regarding this privacy policy and our privacy practices. Please contact us at:
Privacy Officer
11 Church Street, Suite 400
Toronto, ON, M5E 1W1
We have procedures in place to receive and respond to complaints or inquiries about our handling of personal information, our compliance with this policy, and with applicable privacy laws. To discuss our compliance with this policy please contact our Privacy Officer using the contact information listed above.