Privacy Policy
PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR PRIVACY POLICY HAS BEEN UPDATED. YOU CAN REVIEW THE UPDATED POLICY BELOW. [Updated January 04, 2021]
This Privacy Policy describes the information collection, processing, use, and sharing practices of MC Northwest, LLC (“Merit Construction Northwest,” “Merit Construction,” “Merit,” “we” or “our”) applicable to our websites at meritnw.com, and associated subdomains (collectively, “Website”); and information we may collect from you by telephone, email, or other electronic messaging. As used in this Privacy Policy, the words “include,” “includes,” and “including” mean including without limitation.
Merit encourages all Users (including, but not limited to, visitors, customers, business associates, and other interested parties) to read this Privacy Policy. By continuing to interact with our Website, or calling or sending us electronic messages, you acknowledge and agree that you understand and are bound by this Privacy Policy and that we may collect, process, transfer, use, and disclose your information, including personal information, as described in this Privacy Policy. For individuals located outside of the US, please note that Merit is a US-based company. If you use the Website, all information, including personal information, will be transferred to Merit in the US and used as described in this Notice.
This Privacy Policy does not apply to any third-party application or site that may be accessed via links on our Website. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of any site (including any business partner or dealer website) you access through any external links on our Website. Please consult the privacy policies of those sites for more information about their practices.
The information here is accurate as of the date updates at the top of this page, and accurately reflects the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information in the 12 months prior to that effective date.
1. HOW IS INFORMATION COLLECTED?
We collect information from a variety of sources and in a variety of ways as described in this and the other sections of this Privacy Policy, including:
Directly from you when you provide it to us.
Through the use of technology as you navigate through our Website.
From third parties, such as our advertisers.
Through service providers that we have engaged to collect information on our behalf.
2. WHAT INFORMATION IS COLLECTED?
We collect several categories of information from and about users of our Website as described in this and the following sections of this Privacy Policy, including:
Information by which you may be personally identified, such as name, postal address, email address, and telephone number (“personal information”).
Information about your internet connection, the equipment you use to access our Website, and usage details such as times and dates of visits. If you decide to purchase our products/services, we may collect certain additional information, like your credit or debit card number and expiration date.
a. Information You Provide
This section provides some additional details concerning the categories of information we collect directly from you, which includes:
Personal Information, including contact information, that you provide by filling in forms on our Website or by contacting us by telephone or other means. This includes information provided at the time of subscribing to our Merit Newsletter, providing information about your subscription, contacting Customer Service, and purchasing product or services from us.
Records and copies of your correspondences (including email addresses) if you contact us. Your responses to surveys that we might ask you to complete.
Your search queries on our Website.
Personal Information you submit (including text, images, audio, and/or video) through any features on our Website that allow such information to be visible to the general public and/or to be transmitted to other users of our Website or Apps or third parties (collectively, “User Contributions”). User Contributions include information you submit for potential publication on our affiliated sites, such as our social media sites and blog. We may continue to add features available on our Website that allow real-time or delayed publication of User Contributions that are subject to this Privacy Policy. All User Contributions may become public and we may not be able to retrieve, delete, or prevent further distribution of User Contributions on our Website and in other forms of media. User Contributions are subject to any applicable terms and conditions issued by us for such User Contributions.
b. Information Collected Through Technology
In addition to the information that we collect directly from you, we use various technologies to collect personal information and nonpersonal information about you, your online behavior, and your device. Categories of personal information collected through technology includes:
usage details
IP address
geolocation information
operating system
browser type
unique device identifier and other information about your browsing activity, device, and internet connection
We use technologies to collect information about your online activities over time and across third-party websites or other online systems. Third-party advertising companies and our service providers may also use cookies and other technologies to collect information about you and your activities on our Website and other websites for a variety of purposes, including providing you with advertisements that may be of interest to you. This type of advertisement customization is sometimes referred to as “online behavioral” or “interest-based” advertising. The use of tracking technologies by third parties at our Website is subject to those third parties’ privacy policies, not our privacy policy. Please see the “Opt-Out” section below for more information about online behavioral tracking, and how you can opt out of some forms of online behavioral tracking.
We use a tool called “Google Analytics” to collect information about your use of our Website and Apps. Google Analytics collects information such as how often users visit our sites, what pages they visit when they do so, and what other sites they accessed or used prior to coming to our sites. We use the information from Google Analytics to understand website user behavior as it relates to content and marketing, such as to improve our Website, Apps, and services. Google Analytics collects your IP address but does not collect your name or other personal information. For more information about how Google Analytics uses data, including how you can control the information sent to Google Analytics, visit the following external website: HOW GOOGLE USES DATA WHEN YOU USE OUR PARTNERS’ SITES OR APPS. We may also use other data analytic tools and service providers in the future.
We use the reCAPTCHA service provided by Google Inc. (Google) to protect your submissions via internet submission forms on this site. This plugin checks if you are a person in order to prevent certain website functions from being (ab)used by spam bots (particularly comments). This plugin query includes the sending of the IP address and possibly other data required by Google reCAPTCHA service. For this purpose your input will be communicated to and used by Google. However, your IP address is previously truncated by Google within member states of the European Union or in other states which are party to the agreement on the European Economic Area and is, as such, anonymized. Only in exceptional cases is a full IP address transmitted to a Google server in the United States and truncated there. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google will use this information to evaluate your use of this service. The IP address provided by reCAPTCHA from your browser shall not be merged with any other data from Google.
This data collection is subject to the data protection regulations of Google (Google Inc.). For more information about Google’s privacy policy, please visit: Google’s Privacy Policy. By using the reCAPTCHA service, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.
We may combine information we collect about you through the use of technology with other information we have about you, including personal information.
3. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE COLLECTION AND USE OF YOUR INFORMATION?
We use information, including personal information, that we collect about you or that you provide to us for a variety of purposes, including:
To present our Website and their content to you.
To allow you to participate in interactive features on our Website.
To provide you with information, products, or services that you request from us.
For our own marketing purposes.
To fulfill any other purpose for which you provide it.
To carry out our obligations and enforce our rights arising from any contracts entered into between you and us, including for billing and collection.
To notify you about changes to our Website or Apps or any products or services we offer or provide through them.
To follow up with you about services or products provided by us or our business partners.
To administer your accounts and subscriptions.
To improve our content, products, services, Website.
To provide enhanced functionality when accessing our Website, including identifying you and keeping track of your specific preferences, including in terms of the presentation of content on our Website.
To deliver content, including ads, relevant to your interest in our products and services.
Without limiting any other rights, User Contributions may be used without compensation to you for online and offline promotional or commercial uses in any and all media worldwide.
4. DISCLOSURE OF YOUR INFORMATION
We may disclose information for a business purpose, including personal information, that we collect or you provide as described in this Privacy Policy:
To our subsidiaries and affiliates.
To contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support our business.
To an affiliate, buyer, or other successor in the event of a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of our assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding.
To fulfill the purpose for which you provide it. For example, if you give us an email address to use the “email a friend” feature of our Website, we will transmit the contents of that email and your email address to the recipients.
For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information.
To third parties for their own marketing purposes if you request that such information be shared for that purpose.
To comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request.
To enforce or apply our TERMS OF USE and other agreements, including for billing and collection purposes.
If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of us, our customers, or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organizations for the purposes of fraud protection and credit risk reduction.
We do not share your personal information with third parties for the third parties’ direct marketing purposes without your consent.
We may disclose aggregated, deidentified information about our users, User Contributions, and the nonpersonal information of any individual, without restriction.
5. DO-NOT-TRACK DISCLOSURE
Some web browsers have “do-not-track” features that tell websites that you do not want to have your online activities tracked. Our Website do not currently recognize or respond to automated browser signals, which may include “do-not-track” instructions.
6. CHILDREN UNDER 13
Our Website is not intended for children under the age of thirteen (13). If you are the parent or guardian of a person under 13 and believe that person provided us with personal information, please contact us at info@meritnw.com.
7. OPT OUT OF MARKETING COMMUNICATION
If you do not want personal information that we collect about you to be used for our marketing purposes, or for third-party marketing if you have consented to such sharing, you can opt out of such use and sharing by emailing your request to us at info@meritnw.com. Please note that even if you opt out, we may still use and share your personal information with third parties for non-marketing purposes, subject to applicable law and the following sections of this Privacy Policy.
For more information about online behavioral tracking, please visit DIGITALADVERTISINGALLIANCE.ORG and NETWORKADVERTISING.ORG. For more information about how you may opt out of some forms of online behavioral advertising by members of the National Advertising Initiative and Digital Advertising Alliance, please visit NETWORKADVERTISING.ORG/CHOICES and ABOUTADS.INFO/CHOICES.
8. INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFER
If you are located outside the United States, in particular if you are located in Switzerland and the EU, please note that we and our servers are located in the United States. Any information that you provide to us may be transferred to and processed in the United States or other countries around the world where we do business. This transfer may include recipients of information located in countries where there may be a lower level of legal protection for your personal information than in your country. By using our Website, you unambiguously consent to your information being collected, processed, used, and transferred as disclosed herein.
a. European Union Data Privacy Rights
If you are located in the European Union (“EU”), the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) grants you certain rights under the law. In particular, the right to access, correct, delete, restrict processing of, and data portability of the personal information we hold about you. We may retain your personal information from the time you first engage with our Website or Apps until you request deletion of such personal information.
Upon request, we will grant you reasonable access to personal information that we hold about you. In addition, we will take reasonable steps to permit you to correct, amend, delete, restrict processing of, and request portability of the personal information we hold about you. We also rely upon your assistance in providing accurate updates of your personal information. In order to make a request regarding your personal information, please contact info@meritnw.com.
As described above, if you provide us with User Contributions, that information may become public, and we may not be able to retrieve, delete, or prevent further distribution of User Contributions on our Website, Apps, and in other forms of media once that information has entered the public domain. Upon submitting a User Contribution, you acknowledge that User Contributions are subject to this Privacy Policy and the applicable terms and conditions issued by us for such User Contributions.
If you have a comment, question, or complaint about how we are handling your personal information, we hope that you contact us at info@meritnw.com to allow us to resolve the matter. In addition, if you are located in the EU, you may submit a complaint regarding the processing of your personal information to the EU data protection authorities (each a “DPA”). The following link may assist you in finding the appropriate DPA: EC.EUROPA.EU/JUSTICE/DATA-PROTECTION/BODIES/AUTHORITIES/INDEX_EN.HTM.
b. Legal Basis for Processing Under GDPR
We process and transfer your personal information under GDPR on the basis of your consent as described in this Privacy Policy. In addition, in certain circumstances, we process your personal information because it is necessary to enter into and perform a contract between us and you. Finally, we may also process your personal information based on our legitimate interests to market and sell our products.
Where personal information is processed based on consent, EU residents have the right to withdraw such consent at any time. To do so, please contact info@meritnw.com. If there is a different legal basis that would permit us to continue processing your personal information after withdrawing consent, we will notify you of that legal basis at the time of your request.
9. CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS
a. California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
If you are a California resident, California law may provide you with certain rights with regard to your personal information. Throughout this Privacy Policy you will find information required by CCPA regarding the categories of personal information collected from you, the purposes for which we use personal information, and the categories of third parties your data may be shared with. As previously stated, this information is current as of the date of the Notice and is applicable in the 12 months preceding the effective date of the Policy.
As a California resident, the CCPA provides you the ability to make inquiries regarding your personal information. Specifically, the degree to which the information is not already provided in this Privacy Policy, you have the right to request disclosure about the collection and use of your personal information over the past 12 months, including:
The categories of personal information collected about you.
The categories of sources for the personal information collected about you.
The business or commercial purpose for collecting your personal information.
The categories of third parties with whom your personal information was shared.
The specific pieces of personal information collected about you.
If your personal information was disclosed for a business purpose, the personal information categories disclosed and the categories of third parties to which the information was disclosed.
If your personal information was sold in the past 12 months, the personal information categories sold and the categories of third parties to which the information was sold.
Please note that you may only make the above requests twice in a 12-month period. You also have the right to request that any of your personal information collected and retained be deleted, subject to certain exceptions. Finally, you have the right to not receive discriminatory treatment by Merit or any business for exercising any of the rights provided under CCPA.
You may submit a request regarding your rights under CCPA to the following:
Info@meritnw.com
253.588.9100
If we receive a CCPA request from you, we will first make a determination regarding the applicability of the law, and we will then take steps to verify your identity prior to responding. The steps to verify your identity may vary based on our relationship with you, but, at a minimum, it will take the form of confirming and matching the information submitted in the request with information already held by Merit and/or contacting you through previously used channels to confirm that you submitted the request (i.e., confirming identity through contact information that we have on file, not the contact information submitted to make the request).
Your rights as stated here can also be exercised by an authorized agent on your behalf. Merit will follow the standards set by the Attorney General of California regarding designation of an authorized agent to exercise rights under CCPA. You may review information available through the Attorney General website (OAG.CA.GOV/PRIVACY/CCPA) regarding how an individual can be designated as an authorized agent under CCPA.
b. California Marketing Communications
California law requires certain businesses to respond to requests from California residents asking about the disclosure of personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes. In the alternative, such businesses may adopt a policy of not disclosing personal information to third parties for marketing purposes if a California resident has opted out of such information-sharing. We do not share your personal information with third parties without consent. We also have an opt-out policy in place. If you wish to opt out of our sharing your personal information for marketing purposes after you have consented, please follow the “Opt Out” instructions above.
10. SECURITY
We have implemented administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to help prevent unauthorized access, use, or disclosure of personal information in our custody or control. However, we cannot guarantee that these safeguards will prevent the unauthorized access, use, or disclosure of your personal information.
11. CHANGES TO OUR PRIVACY POLICY
We will post any changes we make to our Privacy Policy on this page with a notice on this page. If we make changes to how we treat our users’ personal information, we will notify you by email or through a notice on our Website. The date the privacy Policy was last revised is identified at the top of this page.
CONTACT INFORMATION
To ask questions or comment about this Privacy Policy, contact us at: Merit Construction 3020 S. 96th St., Lakewood, WA 98499, info@meritnw.com, 253.588.9100.