Effective Date: 12/14/2012
Welcome to Benchmark Events (herein after referred to as "Benchmark," "company," "us," "we," and/or "our"), owned and operated by Benchmark Internet Group, LLC. With Benchmark Events, clients anywhere in the world can promote, buy and sell tickets to events across the globe. Our service not only helps people create events, but also find events and pass along info to their friends on which events they're attending or planning to attend. We are able to do all of this through apps and software for a variety of devices, as well as our network of sites and properties including Benchmark Email, our email marketing service.
Policy
This document/page lays out our privacy policy in regards to information that we may collect from anyone (referred hereinafter as "you," "your," etc.) who uses our Benchmark Events service, including agents representing users, promoters and planners ("organizers"), and anyone who wants to buy tickets or donate to events ("buyers"). This includes personally identifiable info (personal data).
Your data and privacy are of utmost importance to Benchmark, and this privacy policy was created to emphasize that. This policy will explain how we use and protect your personal data and any other information gathered with the service.
Benchmark Internet Group has been awarded TRUSTe's Privacy Seal signifying that this privacy policy and practices have been reviewed by TRUSTe for compliance with TRUSTe's program requirements and the TRUSTed Cloud Program Requirements including transparency, accountability and choice regarding the collection and use of your personal information. The TRUSTe program does not cover information that may be collected through downloadable software. The TRUSTe program covers only information that is collected through this Web site, https://www.benchmarkemail.com and the associated Benchmark Events Services.
TRUSTe's mission, as an independent third party, is to accelerate online trust among consumers and organizations globally through its leading privacy Trustmark and innovative trust solutions. If you have questions or complaints regarding our privacy policy or practices, please contact us at support@benchmarkemail.com. If you are not satisfied with our response you can contact TRUSTe here, https://feedback-form.truste.com/watchdog/request.
Benchmark Internet Group complies with the U.S. – E.U. Safe Harbor framework and the U.S. – Swiss Safe Harbor framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of personal data from European Union member countries and Switzerland. Benchmark has certified that it adheres to the Safe Harbor Privacy Principles of notice, choice, onward transfer, security, data integrity, access, and enforcement. To learn more about the Safe Harbor program, and to view Benchmark's certification, please visit http://www.export.gov/safeharbor/.
If you are unsure about our privacy rules or this policy, please contact us at support@benchmarkemail.com.
Consent
When you use our service or have someone use the service on your behalf, you are automatically consenting to the collection, disclosure, transfer, use and storage of data in accordance with this privacy policy.
What We May Collect:
1. Personal Data
If you are an organizer, we will collect data that is voluntarily provided when you register for our service, contact us with questions, use our services or answer questions for polls or surveys. This information may include your name and email address, as well as other personally identifiable information. We may also collect your credit card information (card number, expiration date, billing address) and other personal information used to collect payment or for tax purposes (including your taxpayer ID number).
If you're a buyer or another type of non-organizer, we may collect voluntarily offered data and personal data. This data may be gathered when you sign up to use our service, contact us to ask questions or offer comments, answer survey and poll questions, or use our services. This includes but is not limited to any buyer, non-organizer, or organizer. We may collect data that includes your billing address, credit card number, and/or expiration date, which is considered personal data or personally identifiable information. In addition, organizers may set up registration pages for events and ask for information related to that event. The voluntary information offered to organizers will also be available for us and held in accordance to this privacy policy. This will be expanded on below.
Links to Our Privacy Policy
We try to provide as many links to our privacy policy as possible, including in the footer of each events service page, as well as pages where data is collected.
2. Non-Personal Data
Non-Identifiable Data
When you use or interact with our services, we may collect non-identifiable data, which may include but is not limited to type of Internet browser, Internet Protocol (IP addresses), geographic location (approximate), a record of how you use our services and sites, and other data that cannot be used to identify you. This information, which may be gathered using various technologies, cannot, by itself, be used to identify you. We may collect non-personal data from third parties, and we may combine this data with the same data we collect.
Cookies and Session Identifiers
When you use our service or visit our site(s), we use something called a "cookie" that we place on your browser. This cookie can do anything from analyze how you use our service to automatically identifying you when you visit the site. This saves you time, because when a cookie is used, you may not need to enter in your password or login info over and over to use the service. These cookies may be used to tailor content to you when you visit our service or other sites in the future. Cookies may last for one browser session or many, and may even be used for months or even years until they expire. If you'd like to remove, disable or prevent cookies from being installed on your machine, use the help section of your Internet browser to find out how you can make adjustments to your cookie settings. If you reject cookies, you may still use our services, but your ability to use some areas will be limited. To save you time and to use our services to the fullest, we recommend that you keep your cookies turned on. Be advised, we may also be using HTML5 cookies in future updates to the service.
How We Use the Information We Collect
Personal Data - In accordance with our privacy policy, we may collect personal data. This data may be used as follows:
- Specific Reasons - If you've given us personal data for a specific reason, we will use it as such. For instance, if you call our support line with a question and leave a message, we will use your phone number to call you back because you specifically offered it to us for this purpose. Email is similar, as we may receive an email from you asking a question, and we will use that email address to answer whatever query you sent us.
- Use and Access - If you give us data to use or access our services, we'll use that data to provide you access to our services. For example, if you offer your credit card information to purchase tickets to an event as a buyer, or to process payments and purchases as an organizer, we will use the credit card information you provided to purchase tickets or process payments.
- Benchmark support and event organizers do not have access to stored credit card numbers or card validation codes for buyers.
- Business Purposes (Internal) - We may use gathered data to improve our services, understand our users, identify theft or wrongdoing, enforce our terms of service, deliver customer service or manage your account.
- Marketing Purposes - We may use your data for marketing purposes, for example, letting you know about a service or event we believe you'd like to know about (or have shown interest in knowing about). We may use the data to create marketing materials and deliver those materials to you, display advertising and content on our site (or other sites). If you're an organizer, please note that we may use the data you collect from buyers in accordance with this privacy policy and the manner mentioned above.
- Emails from Organizers - Organizers may use our email service to reach out to buyers regarding current, past and future events. If you are a buyer, expect that you may get emails from us that originate with organizers.
Non-Personal Data - Non-personal data cannot be used to identify you personally, so we may use that data for any purpose that falls within the law. In order to serve you better and deliver the features you like most, we may conduct research on customer interests, behavior and demographics, based on the personal data we have collected. This research will be studied and analyzed on an aggregate, de-identified basis.
If we decide to use your data in any way that is not in line with this privacy policy, we will let you know, ask for and obtain your consent. (See Privacy Policy Changes below.)
How We Disclose Information We Collect
1. Personal Data - As a company we will not sell your data to third parties, including advertisers, as this is not the intent of our service. There are certain situations where we may transfer or share your personal data with third parties, without notice to you.
Here is a list of those situations:
- Business transfers - We may, at any point sell, dissolve or buy businesses, services or assets. If this happens, your personal data may be part of the assets transferred. Should this happen, you will be notified via email 30 days prior to a change of ownership or control of your personal information. If as a result of the business transition your personally identifiable information will be used in a manner materially different from that stated at the time of collection, you will be given choice consistent with our notification of changes section. According to this privacy policy, you agree that any company that acquires (or follows) our service has a right to use your data (in accordance with this privacy policy).
- Affiliates and Subsidiaries - We may share your data with subsidiaries and affiliates in accordance with this policy, and they are bound to maintain and use your data in accordance with this policy as well.
- Third Parties, Agents and Consultants - On occasion, we may engage with other companies, entities and services to perform certain functions (business-related). These functions may include ticket fulfillment, mailing info, preventing fraud, processing payments and maintaining databases. We may provide these companies with your data so that they can perform these and other functions. These companies are authorized to use your personal information only as necessary to provide these services to us.
- Third Party Connections, including Facebook - Using Facebook, you can connect to your events account. This means that with Facebook, as well as other third-party services, we may collect, transfer, store and use information relating to your account. Your first name, last name, ID, email, friends list, and other data connected to your Facebook account may add functionality to our services, including sharing event info with your Facebook friends. Please make sure your friends are interested in receiving info on events you like or plan to attend.
- Organizers - When you register or donate to an event, or buy tickets, you are consenting to provide personal data to the organizers. Organizers are not required to handle your data in accordance with this privacy policy, and you agree that we are not responsible for the way organizers treat your personal data. Please review the policies of event organizers on personal data in connection with the event.
- Legal Requirements - We must divulge information if we're required to do so by law, including (but not limited to) a subpoena or law enforcement request, government agency request, or in our belief that this type of action is necessary to comply with legal obligation, defend our rights or the ones of third parties, investigate or identify wrongdoing connected with our services, protect the safety of our users, or protect ourselves against legal liability.
2. Data (Non-Personal) - Since non-personal data cannot be used as an identification of you, we may disclose, share or transfer non-personal data for any lawful purpose.
Your Options Regarding Personal Disclosure
You can limit whatever data you choose to provide. Understand, however, that if you choose to provide less (or any) personal data, you may not be able to use our service (or certain functions of our service).
Opting Out
Opt out of Benchmark's newsletter contact list by changing your email preferences in your user account. As a buyer, you may opt out of receiving an event organizer's emails by clicking the "Unsubscribe" link in the email received or you can contact us at support@benchmarkemail.com. (All Benchmark emails contain an Unsubscribe link, in accordance with the CAN-SPAM Act; all unsubscribe requests are honored within 10 days of the initial request.)
To buyers: As an email recipient, you may be subscribed to multiple lists. If your email is listed with a Benchmark user who segments their lists or has separate contact lists for their Event and Email accounts, please take the time to note which lists you are unsubscribing from; Benchmark provides the options to unsubscribe from specific lists as well as unsubscribe from all lists. If you do not unsubscribe from all lists, you may continue to receive emails from a Benchmark user or organizer.
Exclusions
When it comes to any personal data collected, this privacy policy only covers the data collected through our services. It does not apply to any unsolicited information you give us, other users or visitors using our service (or through other means). This includes, but is not limited to, ideas for product modifications, demand letters, DMCA notices, and other unsolicited information or data.
Children
We do not knowingly collect any data for children under 13 years old, so if you are under the age of 13, do not submit or offer any data through our services. We strongly suggest that guardians of children monitor them and convince them to never post any data through our services. If you believe a minor has submitted data to our service, please let us know at support@benchmarkemail.com and we will work to delete that info from our database.
Other Websites (Links)
This privacy policy applies to our services only, although we may link to third-party Websites that are not owned or controlled by us. These links are not an endorsement of these sites, and we suggest that you reach out to those sites directly for info on their own privacy policies.
Additionally, certain areas of Benchmark Events may utilize Social Media Features, such as the Facebook Like button, Tweet button, "Share This" and other interactive mini-programs. These Features may collect your IP address, and may set a cookie to enable the Feature to function properly. Social Media Features and Widgets are either hosted by a third party or hosted directly. Your interactions with these Features are governed by the privacy policy of the company providing it.
Storage and Security
When we collect sensitive information on an organizer's behalf, we encrypt the transmission of that information using secure socket layer technology (SSL). There is a chance that we may store personal data in our own databases, or databases under the control/management of agents, affiliates or service providers. As a service, we will take what we think are the appropriate steps to protect any data provided through our service from loss, unauthorized access, unplanned or inadvertent disclosure, destruction or alteration. Please note that Internet or email transmissions are never 100% secure or without error. Therefore, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. If you have any questions about security on our Web site, you can contact us at support@benchmarkemail.com. Please take special care when sending info to us via email, and protect yourself when you transmit data using the Internet.
International Privacy Laws
When sending personal and non-personal data to our servers, please be aware that Benchmark is based in the United States and that our privacy policy and practices are in accordance with United States laws. Please be aware that privacy laws in the U.S. may differ from those of your own country.
Other Terms and Conditions
Access to our forthcoming services and their use is subject to our terms of service. This includes the Benchmark API.
Privacy Policy Changes
We may change this privacy policy from time to time. Should this happen, we will notify you at least 30 days before those changes take place by email (sent to the email address specified in your account) or by means of a clear notice prior to the change. Please read this policy before you provide any personal information or data, just to make certain that our policy has not changed in any way. If you continue to use our service and are unaware of privacy policy changes, you are still bound by this privacy policy and you automatically agree to this privacy policy's terms.
Information Access
If you are an Organizer, to update your Personal Data, log in to your Benchmark account, scroll over your User ID in the upper right and click on one of the Account settings. There, you can update your contact information and more.
To change, delete or request deletion of data not accessible via your Account settings, contact support@benchmarkemail.com. Buyers cannot update their data in this way, though if buyers wish to begin an account with Benchmark, they may sign up by clicking on any of the Free Trial buttons on the site or in Benchmark emails.
If buyers believe they have entered incorrect personal data or wish to update their personal data, they may contact Benchmark at the email listed in the previous paragraph. Benchmark will review all requests but may reject requests that are impractical or abusive.
For event purposes, organizers have access to buyers' personal data (including name, contact information and purchase history, but excluding credit card information) but cannot change or update this data.
Retention and Deletion
We may retain your personal data for as long as you continue to use our services. You have the freedom to close your account at any time by contacting us, but we may keep your personal and non-personal data for any amount of time that is required or permitted by law. Even if we delete your data, it may stay in backup, archival media, or other information systems.
How to Contact Benchmark
Please contact us if you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or Benchmark Internet Group, LLC's information practices. Email us at support@benchmarkemail.com or call 800.430.4095.
Contact us by mail at:
Benchmark Email
10621 Calle Lee, Building 141
Los Alamitos, CA 90720, USA
Phone: 800.430.4095
Disputes
To learn more about dispute resolution, please visit the Jurisdiction section of our Terms of Service (Section 19).