Version 3.0 – Effective December 15, 2010
This website is operated and controlled by Symantec Corporation and its subsidiaries, affiliates and/or related companies (“Symantec”). Symantec is committed to providing you with excellent service for all of our products and services. Because we respect your right to privacy, we have developed this Privacy Statement to inform you about our privacy practices for the entire VeriSign.com site. This Privacy Statement is not applicable to any of our other privacy practices, including, without limitation, data collected from other Symantec sites or offline.
Symantec is a licensee of the TRUSTe Privacy Program and is authorized to use the TRUSTe trust mark. TRUSTe is an independent organization whose mission is to build user trust and confidence in the Internet by promoting the principles of disclosure and informed consent. Symantec has agreed to disclose its privacy practices and have them reviewed and audited for compliance by TRUSTe. Members of the TRUSTe Privacy Program agree to adhere to TRUSTe's established privacy principles of disclosure, choice, access, and security. Members of the TRUSTe Privacy Program also agree to comply with ongoing TRUSTe oversight and its alternative dispute resolution process. In keeping with TRUSTe's Privacy Program, this Privacy Statement will inform you of:
* What personal information our site gathers about you
* How we use and with whom we share the personal information we gather
* Your ability to opt-out of future notifications
* What security procedures we have in place to protect your personal information from loss, misuse, or alteration
* How you can correct or update your personal information
Questions regarding this Privacy Statement should be directed to privacy@symantec.com. Please specify "VeriSign.com Privacy Statement" in the subject line of your e-mail. If you do not receive a reply from us or if you believe that your inquiry has not been satisfactorily resolved, please contact TRUSTe. The TRUSTe program covers only information that is collected through this Website, and does not cover information that may be collected through software downloaded from this Website.
Overview
Privacy is of great concern to most users of the Internet, and is a critical part of an enjoyable and satisfactory user experience. We at Symantec are acutely aware of and sensitive to the privacy concerns of our subscribers and other visitors to our Website. Whether you are a customer of our various products and services or a visitor to our site, we assure you that we do not collect personal information from you unless you provide it to us. If you are enrolling for a VeriSign-branded digital certificate ("Digital ID"), you may be asked to provide certain personal information. Please note, however, that we ask for this information for the limited purpose of creating your Digital ID, providing the services that may be part of your Digital ID, and authenticating your identity in order to issue you a Digital ID. You should be assured that we do not provide or sell personal information about our customers or site visitors to vendors that are not involved in the provision of Symantec’s VeriSign-branded public certification and other services.
Privacy Policy Enforcement
Symantec supports TRUSTe's comprehensive assurance process. In order to ensure compliance with its Privacy Program, TRUSTe monitors our site by conducting initial and periodic reviews and "seeding" (tracking unique identifiers in our site's database). TRUSTe also relies on online users to report violations of posted privacy statements or specific privacy concerns. If a TRUSTe participant is suspected of not conforming to TRUSTe principles, TRUSTe will investigate the issue, which could result in penalties, additional audits, or revocation of the participant's right to use the TRUSTe trust mark. Extreme violations may even be escalated to the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC"). These enforcement measures are intended to provide some assurances that you can rely on our representations in this Privacy Statement. For more information on the TRUSTe assurance process, see http://www.truste.com. If you feel that we are violating this Privacy Statement, please contact us.
Information We Gather from You
Personal Information
There are two ways in which you may explicitly and intentionally provide us with and consent to our collection of certain personal information:
* E-mail Request for Information or Registrations for Guides or Seminars - We use links throughout our site to provide you with the opportunity to contact us via e-mail to ask questions, request information and materials, register or sign up for guides or seminars, or provide comments and suggestions. You may also be offered the opportunity to have one of our representatives contact you personally to provide additional information about our products or services. To do so, we may request additional personal information from you, such as your name and telephone number, to help us satisfy your request.
* Enrollment - If you choose to enroll for one of our products or services, we will request certain information from you. Depending on the type of product or service that you request, you may be asked to provide different personal information. For certain products and services, we may require your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, credit card number, bank account information, IP address, and/or social security number. Other products and services may require different or supplemental information from you in order to apply. For a detailed listing of the type of personal information requested for our various products, please refer to the enrollment page for the particular product or service.
Under no circumstances do we collect any personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, health, or sex life.
Statistical Information About Your Visit
When you visit our site, our computers may automatically collect statistics about your visit. This information does not identify you personally, but rather identifies information about a visit to our site. We may monitor statistics such as how many people visit our site, the user's IP address, which pages people visit, from which domains our visitors come and which browsers people use. We use these statistics about your visit for aggregation purposes only. These statistics are used to help us improve the performance of our Website.
Use of Cookies
We only use "cookies" as described in this section. A "cookie" is a piece of information that our Web site sends to your browser, which then stores this information on your system. If a cookie is used, our Website will be able to "remember" information about you and your preferences either until you exit your current browser window (if the cookie is temporary) or until you disable or delete the cookie. Many users prefer to use cookies in order to help them navigate a Website as seamlessly as possible. You should be aware that cookies contain no more information than you volunteer, and they are not able to "invade" your hard drive and return to the sender personal or other information from your computer.
Our uses of "cookies" are limited to the following specific situations. The first situation is with respect to temporary cookies. There are two instances in which we use temporary cookies. First, if you are accessing our services through one of our online applications our Web server may automatically send your browser a temporary cookie, which is used to help your browser navigate our site. The only information contained in these temporary cookies is a direction value that lets our software determine which page to show when you hit the back button in your browser. This bit of information is erased when you close your current browser window. If you come to our site from one of our business partners, our Web server may also send your browser a temporary cookie that reflects an "origination code" for that business partner. We use this information for statistical and marketing purposes. Second, if you log into an access-controlled section of our site, we set a temporary session cookie to establish that you have been authenticated. The information contained in these cookies consists of random data that is used by the server to authenticate the browser requests to the server for that particular session. It does not include any type of personally identifiable information. This bit of information is erased when you close your current browser window. If you choose not to accept a temporary cookie, you may not be able to navigate these online applications.
The second situation in which we may use cookies is with respect to permanent cookies. This type of cookie remains on your system, although you can always delete or disable it through your browser preferences. There are two instances in which we use a permanent cookie. First, when you visit our Website and request documentation or a response from us. When you are filling out a form you may be given the option of having our Website deliver a cookie to your local hard drive. You might choose to receive this type of cookie in order to save time when filling out forms and/or revisiting our Website. We only send this type of cookie to your browser when you have clicked on the box labeled "Please pre-fill these forms for me in the future" or "Please remember my profile information" when submitting information or communicating with us. The second instance where we use a permanent cookie is where we track traffic patterns on our site. Analysis of the collected information by our tracking technologies allows us to improve our Website and the user experience. In both instances of a persistent cookie, if you choose not to accept the cookie, you will still be able to use our Website. Even if you choose to receive this type of cookie, you can always set your browser to notify you when you receive any cookie, giving you the chance to decide whether to accept it in each situation in which one is sent.
Bulletin Boards, Chat Rooms and Forums
If you use a forum, bulletin board, chat room or other chat tool on this Website, you should be aware that any personally identifiable information you submit there can be read, collected, or used by other users of these forums, and could be used to send you unsolicited messages. Symantec is not responsible for the personally identifiable information you choose to submit in these forums. You are also responsible for using these forums in a manner consistent with the Rules of Engagement or other terms and conditions set forth on the relevant forum site.
How We Use and With Whom We Share the Personal Information We Gather
We assure you that the personal information we gather from you is used by us only as explained below.
Sending you responses and updates
We generally respond to any e-mail questions, requests for product or service information, and other inquiries that we receive. We may also retain this correspondence to improve our products, services, and Website, and for other disclosed purposes. Frequently we retain contact information so that we can send individuals updates or other important information about our services and products. Occasionally these updates or other important information may be sent out by third parties on our behalf. Please be assured that any third party who contacts you in this capacity has executed a confidentiality agreement with us that contains a provision ensuring the privacy and security of any transferred information and limits the third party's use of the shared information to sending updates or providing services on our behalf. Our subsidiary companies may also send you information about their services and products. In situations where you have supplied your information in connection with a question or request for information about a product or service offered by a Symantec business partner, we may also send the information you have supplied to the Symantec business partners that offer such products or services. Please be assured that these Symantec business partners have agreed to ensure the privacy and security of any transferred information and may only use the shared information to send you information about products or services about which you asked.
Facilitating the support, renewal, and purchase of our products and services
We may use the information you submit to contact you to discuss the support, renewal, and purchase of our products and services. We may provide our subsidiary companies with your information so that they may send you information about their services and products. We may also provide the information you have submitted to us to a Symantec subsidiary, business partner, or independent reseller (either within or outside the United States) so that the subsidiary, business partner, or independent reseller can contact you and facilitate the support, renewal, and purchase of Symantec products and services. You may receive a communication directly from one of our subsidiaries, business partners, or independent resellers. Please be assured that any subsidiary, business partner, or independent reseller who contacts you for one of these purposes has agreed to use the information we supply only in accordance with a confidentiality agreement. To find out the names and locations of the subsidiaries, business partners, and/or independent resellers to whom we have provided your information, please contact us at the address given at the end of this Privacy Statement.
Facilitating the provision of certain included products and services (if you are applying for certain types of Digital IDs)
Certain types of Digital IDs come with additional third-party services or products that are included with the Digital ID. If you purchase one of these Digital IDs, we may forward some or all of the information in your application to third party providers so that they can provide you with the service or product and follow up with you directly regarding their service or product or an upgrade. Please be assured that we have agreements with these third-party service or product providers that prevent them from disclosing the information to other parties.
Validating your identity (if you are applying for certain types of Digital IDs)
Certain types of Digital IDs require that we compare some of the information in your application to information contained in a third-party database or with some other third party source. We do this in order to authenticate your identity and other attributes, and also to prevent identity theft. We have confidentiality agreements in place with these third-party databases restricting the disclosure of your information. In certain limited situations, we have contracts in place permitting the third-party database to disclose the information to its subcontractors or affiliates, but only for authenticating your identity and only in accordance with confidentiality agreements.
Forming the contents of a Digital ID
The exact information that appears in our different types of Digital IDs is set forth in the relevant enrollment page. Generally this information is limited to e-mail address and name, but certain classes of Digital IDs contain additional information. For example, SSL Certificates may contain the organization's Dun and Bradstreet number. Please note that all information that you provide us that forms the content of a Digital ID will be "published." Publication of Digital IDs in an accessible location (a repository) is an integral part of enabling the widespread use of Digital IDs. Your Digital ID will be published in our repository so that a third party may access, review, and rely upon your Digital ID. You should have no expectation of privacy regarding the content of your Digital ID.
Disclosure by Law and Protection of Symantec and Others
If we are required by law to disclose certain information to local, state, federal, national or international government or law enforcement authorities, we will do so (for example, we may disclose the identity of purchasers of certain software products to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, as required under the terms of our export licenses). We will also disclose information to third parties as necessary in order to comply with applicable laws and regulations. In addition, Symantec may share information in order to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities or suspected fraud, or enforce or apply Symantec's agreements.
Business Transitions
Circumstances may arise where, whether for strategic or other business reasons, Symantec decides to sell, buy, merge or otherwise reorganize businesses or business units in some countries. Such a transaction may involve the disclosure of personal information to prospective or actual purchasers, or the receipt of it from sellers. It is Symantec's practice to seek appropriate protection for information in these types of transactions.
Surveys
From time-to-time we may request information from customers via surveys. Participation in these surveys is completely voluntary and the user therefore has a choice whether or not to disclose this information. Survey information will be used for purposes of monitoring or improving the use of and satisfaction with this Website, and improving our customer service and product offerings.
Your Ability to Opt-Out of Further Notifications
From time-to-time, we notify our subscribers of new products, announcements, upgrades and updates. If you would like to opt-out of being notified, please contact us at the address given at the end of this Privacy Statement.
If you would like to change your preferences online, please visit http://www.verisign.com/compref/ . If you receive a marketing communication from our subsidiaries, business partners or independent resellers, you should opt-out with that entity directly. Please be aware that you may not opt out of receiving information regarding the security, initial use, expiration, product enhancement or migration of our Digital IDs or other products or services.
Our Security Procedures
We consider the protection of all personal information we receive from our Website visitors and subscribers as critical to our corporate mission. Please be assured that we have security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse, and alteration of any personal information we receive from you. As with any transmission over the Internet, however, there is always some element of risk involved in sending personal information. In order to try to minimize this risk, we encrypt all information that you submit in ordering one of our products or services using the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol. Our security procedures are also subject to at least an annual SAS-70 Type II audit by an internationally-recognized accounting firm.
How You Can Update or Correct Your Personal Information
If you need to update or correct information contained in a Digital ID you will need to revoke your Digital ID and obtain a new one because we digitally sign each subscriber's Digital ID as a part of the Digital ID issuance process. If we were to subsequently modify or remove any information listed in a Digital ID, our digital signature would not verify the Digital ID's new content. Furthermore, if a subscriber (sender) then digitally signed a message with his or her private key, a third party would not be able to properly verify the sender's signature (created using the sender's private key) because the sender's Digital ID would have been altered after the key pair's creation. For more information and tutorials on digital signatures, Digital IDs, keys, and related subjects, click here http://www.verisign.com/repository
If you would like to update or correct any personal information in our records that is not contained in your Digital ID, please contact us at the address given at the end of this Privacy Statement.
How You Can Revoke (Deactivate) Your Digital ID
When a third party wants to rely on a Digital ID, it is important for the third party to know the status of the Digital ID (for example, whether it is valid, suspended (where available) or revoked). The third party may do this by accessing our repository and querying the status of the Digital ID. We do not generally delete Digital IDs (and their content) from our on-line repository because a third party might not then be able to check its status. You may, however, revoke (deactivate) your Digital ID. A revoked Digital ID will still appear in our repository with an indication that it has been revoked. If you are a Digital ID subscriber and would like to have your Digital ID revoked (deactivated) from our database, please visit our site at http://www.verisign.com/ssl/revoke.html and follow the listed instructions or contact us via e-mail at id-support@verisign.com (for Class 1 and Class 2 Digital IDs) or at support@verisign.com (for Class 3 Digital IDs) or at the address given at the end of this Privacy Statement.
Email this Page
If you use our "Email this page" feature to send a copy of that page to someone else, your email address will appear as the sender of the email. Both your email address and the recipient's email address will not be used for any other purpose.
Changes to this Privacy Statement
If a material change is made to this Privacy Statement and/or the way we use our customers' personally identifiable information then, with the prior written approval from TRUSTe, we will post prominent notice of the nature of such change on the first page of this Privacy Statement and also on our home page.
Our mailing address is:
Symantec Corporation
Attention: Authentication Support
350 Ellis Street
Mountain View, California 94043