Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This policy covers the use of personal information that ICPA collects when you use icpa.ca. The policy also gives you information about cookies and how you may reject such cookies.From time to time, you will be asked to submit personal information about yourself (e.g. name and email address) in order to receive or use services on our website. Such services include newsletters, competitions, live chats, message boards and ICPA membership.By entering your details in the fields requested, you enable ICPA and its service providers to provide you with the services you select. Whenever you provide such personal information, we will treat that information in accordance with this policy. When using your personal information ICPA will act in accordance with current legislation and aim to meet current Internet best practice.

2. Visitor Information

During the course of any visit to icpa.ca, the pages you see, along with a short text file called a 'cookie', are downloaded to your computer. Many websites do this, because cookies enable website publishers to do useful things like find out whether the computer (and probably its user) has visited the website before. This is done on a repeat visit by checking to see, and finding, the cookie left there on the last visit.Information supplied by cookies can help us to provide you with a better online user experience and assist us to analyse the profile of our visitors. We use Google Analytics to gather non-personal information regarding the visitors to our website on our behalf using cookies, log file data and code which is embedded on our website. ICPA uses this type of information, as with that obtained from other cookies used on the site, to help it improve the services to its users.

3. What is a cookie?

A cookie is a small amount of data, which often includes an anonymous unique identifier that is sent to your browser from a website's computer and stored on your computer's hard drive. Each website can send its own cookie to your browser if your browser's preferences allow it, but (to protect your privacy) your browser only permits a web site to access the cookies it has already sent to you, not the cookies sent to you by other sites.Many sites do this whenever a user visits their website in order to track online traffic flows.Cookies record information about your online preferences. Users have the opportunity to set their computers to accept all cookies, to notify them when a cookie is issued, or not to receive cookies at any time. The last of these, of course, means that certain personalised services cannot then be provided to that user user and accordingly you may not be able to take full advantage of all of the ICPA features. Each browser is different, so check the "Help" menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences.If you have set your computer to reject cookies you can still browse icpa.ca anonymously until such time as you wish to register for our services. For further information on cookies please visit http://www.aboutcookies.org.

4. Use and storage of your personal information

When you supply any personal information to ICPA (e.g. for competitions, surveys, events or ICPA membership) we have legal obligations towards you in the way we use those data. We must collect the information fairly, that is, we must explain how we will use it (see the notices on particular webpages that let you know why we are requesting the information) and tell you if we want to pass the information on to anyone else.In general, any information you provide to ICPA will only be used within ICPA and by its agents and service providers. Your information will be disclosed where we are obliged or permitted by law. Also, if you post or send offensive, inappropriate or objectionable content anywhere on or to icpa.ca or otherwise engage in any disruptive behaviour on icpa.ca, we can use whatever information that is available to it about you to stop such behaviour, including restricting your access to our website. We will hold your personal information on our systems for as long as you use the service you have requested, and remove it in the event that the purpose has been met, or, in the case of ICPA membership you no longer wish to continue your registration as a member. For safety reasons, however, ICPA may store messaging transcript data (including message content, member names, times and dates) arising from the use of our Community services such as chat or discussions. Where personal information is held for people who are not yet registered but have taken part in other services (e.g. events), that information will be held as long as is necessary to ensure that the service is run smoothly. We will ensure that all personal information supplied is held securely, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.If you are notified on icpa.ca that your information may be used to allow tus to contact you for "service administration purposes", this means that we may contact you for a number of purposes related to the service you have signed up for. For example, we may wish to provide you with password reminders or notify you that the particular service has been suspended for maintenance. We will not contact you for promotional purposes, such as notifying you of improvements to the service or new services on ICPA unless you specifically agree to be contacted for such purposes at the time you submit your information on the site, or at a later time if you sign up specifically to receive such promotional information.

5. Access to your personal information

You have the right to request a copy of the personal information ICPA holds about you and to have any inaccuracies corrected. (We charge £10 for information requests although registered members can see their profile at any time and amend the information as desired.)Please address requests to the Data Protection Officer, Sharedbase Solutions Ltd, 60 Dumfries Road, Elvanfoot ML12 6TF, Scotland, UK (Email: data@sharedbase.com).

6. Users 16 and under

icpa.ca is provided for users over the age of 16. If you are under 16 years of age, please leave the site now.

7. How to find and control your cookies

If you're using Internet Explorer 6.0 or 7.0:Choose Tools, thenInternet OptionsClick the Privacy tabClick on Custom LevelClick on the 'Advanced' buttonCheck the 'override automatic cookie handing' box and select Accept, Block or Prompt for action as appropriate.If you're using Firefox 2.0:Choose Tools, thenOptionsClick the Privacy iconIf you're using Firefox 1.0 or 1.5:Choose Tools, thenOptionsClick the Privacy iconClick the Cookies tabIf you're using Opera 8.0 or 9.0:Choose Tools, thenPreferencesAdvancedCookiesIf you're using Opera 7.0:Choose File, thenPreferencesPrivacyIf you're using Netscape 6.0:Choose Edit, thenPreferencesClick on AdvancedClick on CookiesIf you're using Internet Explorer 5.0 or 5.5:Choose Tools, thenInternet OptionsClick the Security tabClick on Custom LevelScroll down to the sixth option to see how cookies are handled by IE5 and change to Accept, Disable, or Prompt for action as appropriate.
Older browsers may not allow you to access all the features of ICPA

8. How do you know which of the sites you've visited use cookies?

If you're using Internet Explorer 5.0, 6.0 or 7.0:Choose Tools, thenInternet OptionsClick the General tabClick SettingsView FilesIf you're using Firefox 2.0:Choose Tools, thenOptionsClick the Privacy iconShow CookiesIf you're using Firefox 1.0 or 1.5:Choose Tools, thenOptionsClick the Privacy iconClick the Cookies tabView CookiesIf you're using Opera 8.0 or 9.0:Choose Tools, thenAdvancedCookiesIf you're using Opera 7.0:Choose File, thenPreferencesPrivacyClick on Manage CookiesIf you're using Netscape 6.0:Choose Edit, thenPreferencesClick on AdvancedClick on CookiesClick the View Cookies button

9. How to see your cookie code

Just click on a cookie to open it. You'll see a short string of text and numbers. The numbers are your identification card, which can only be seen by the server that gave you the cookie.