CARPOOL CONNECTION PRIVACY POLICY
User privacy is very important to us. We are committed to your privacy and security, and strive to provide the best possible user experience for our users and online customers. We also strive to protect the personal and confidential information of those who use our online services.
Information collected during registration for the Carpool Connection program is used to match you with potential rideshare partners, and some of this information may be disclosed to them as described below (See Confidential Information).
Only the Carpool Connection partner agencies will have access to your account information. We will not share or sell this information to outside entities. We may do research on our users’ demographics and behavior based on the information provided upon registration, gathered from transaction activity or from surveys.
What information does the Carpool Connection site collect from me?
Some confidential information is gathered when you register for our Carpool Connection program, such as:
- First and last name
- Gender
- Home address
- E-Mail address
- Telephone number
- Name of employer/school/organization
- Work address
- Work hours
- Other information related to your commute
In addition, you are able to include the following optional information on your account to ensure quality matches:
- Smoking preference
- Match only with male or female commuters
- A comment regarding carpool arrangements, such as a proposed meeting place
To protect your anonymity, the following information will not be shown on carpool match reports:
- Your last name
- Your telephone number
- Your home address*
- Your work address*
- Your telephone number (unless user has no personal e-mail address)
*The approximate origin and destination points will be marked on a map, but no specific addresses will be provided on match reports. Only the database administrator has access to users’ full names, work and home addresses.
In addition to registration, we may ask you for information at other times, such as when you report a problem with our site or services, or contact the organization via our e-mail address. If you contact us, we may keep a record of that correspondence.
If you believe that any inaccurate or inappropriate information has been obtained or disseminated through your use of this Web site, you should contact a representative of MARC at rideshare@marc.org.
How do the Carpool Connection Partners use the information?
Only the Carpool Connection Partners and their affiliates will have access to individuals' account information. Our affiliates may include other cities and governmental entities we work with to provide services. We also may do research on our users' demographics and behavior based on the information provided to us upon registration, gathered from transaction activity, from our server log files or from surveys. We may also share with service partners or other third parties aggregated data which does not include information identifying individual users.
Who is collecting information?
When you are on the Carpool Connection site and are asked for personal information, you are sharing that information with the Carpool Connection Partners and their affiliates and service providers. If personal data is to be collected and/or maintained by any company other than the Carpool Connection or its affiliates, we will attempt to notify you on the Web site or in an updated version of this Privacy Policy. If you do not want your data to be shared, you can choose not to allow the transfer by not using that particular service.
With whom does Carpool Connection share my information?
We will not disclose any of your personally identifiable information except when we have your permission or under special circumstances, such as when we believe in good faith that the law requires it or under the circumstances described below. The following describes some of the ways that your information may be disclosed.
Data in the Aggregate: We may disclose “blinded” aggregated data and user statistics to prospective partners and other third parties, and for other lawful purposes. Blinded data is data which does not identify an individual person.
Carpool Connection Data: We may disclose the following types of data to potential matches on our system:
- First name
- Gender
- Approximate origin and destination points
- Work Hours
- Carpool Preferences (if any) – male/female, smoking/non-smoking
In addition, you will be provided with a means to forward information through our Web site to potential ride match participants. Any information you disclose via this method will be disclosed to such persons.
Other: We also may disclose account information in special cases when we have reason to believe that disclosing this information is necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action against someone who may be violating our Terms and Conditions of Use, or may otherwise be causing injury to or interference with (either intentionally or unintentionally) our rights or property, other Web site users or Carpool Connection participants, or anyone else that could be harmed by such activities. We may disclose or access account information when we believe in good faith that the law requires it and for administrative and other purposes that we deem necessary to maintain, service and improve our products and services.
What security precautions are in place to protect the loss, misuse or alteration of my information?
Your Account Information and Profile are password-protected so you have access to this personal information. Remember to sign out of your account and close your browser window when you have finished your work. Because of the global nature of the Internet, when you give us information, that information may be sent electronically to servers outside of the country where you originally entered the information. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Therefore, information that you disclose by use of this site (as with any site that is non-secure), by posting a message or using e‑mail, potentially could be collected and used by others. As a result, while we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us or from our services, and you do so at your own risk. Once we receive your transmission, we use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure its security on our systems.
What else should I know about my privacy?
Ultimately, you are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your passwords and/or any account information. Please be careful and responsible whenever you are online.
When you or we end your customer relationship with us, we will continue to treat the information we have about you in a confidential manner.