Privacy Policy

 

This privacy policy (the “Policy”) describes how HTC Corporation, HTC America, Inc. and their related companies (“HTC” or "we/our/us") collect, use and share personal information that we collect from you as a user of HTC websites, devices, applications and services (together, the “Services”). HTC strives to comply with all laws that apply to our handling of information collected about you. This Policy is subject to those laws that may be more strict than as outlined here.

We may add to, or amend, this Policy with other notices. We may also post different privacy statements for some Services, and when we do so, this Policy does not apply. For example, where applicable, separate policies apply to information collected from your device through Tell HTC Usage and Tell HTC Error Reporting.

NOTE: Your wireless operator, mobile operating system provider and/or third-party applications, toolbars, services, “plug-ins”, social media platforms and websites may also collect, use and share information about you and your device and your usage. HTC’s privacy policies do not cover any third parties, their products, actions or their services. HTC cannot control how third parties collect, use or secure your data. For information about third-party privacy practices, please consult their privacy policies. Only download applications from, and interact and connect with, reputable third parties.

1. INFORMATION YOU GIVE US

 When you use our Services, you may provide information to us, both online and offline, including, for example: your name, email address, street address, phone numbers, fax number, date of birth, device identifiers, location data, your provider information, photos, videos and demographics (gender, company or organisation name, occupation, language preference, city, country, postcode, area code, time zone, etc.). If you purchase Services from us, we may also store your credit card numbers or other payment information, as required. We may hold and associate any information you provide us with information gathered from other sources, including the social accounts that you choose to associate with your use of the Services, or with information we receive from other companies.

2. INFORMATION WE AUTOMATICALLY COLLECT

When you use the Services, we automatically collect some information. We may collect information about your usage of and activity on our Services. When you visit our websites, information we may automatically log includes, for example, your operating system, Internet Protocol (IP) address, access times, browser type and language and the website that you visited before visiting our website. When you use our devices, download and use our applications, or access the Services from your device, we may also log information related to your device and your use of our applications and Services. We may log, for example, the date you activate your device, your location, phone number, device type, serial number, device identifiers (e.g., IMEI, MEID, serial number, CID, MID and MCC ID Number or SIM card ID), the types and versions of mobile operating systems on your device, applications and software you install and use and how you use them, content you view or use and time-stamped logs of data exchanges. If you use the Services to back up and store your device data and content with an independent third party service provider, we will collect certain information needed to help restore your data and content to your device, such as your device settings and the names of files and applications that you wish to back up. 

We may also log information about you using web beacons, cookies, local shared objects (LSOs) and similar methods (examples of which are defined below). We may automatically link any of the information that we collect about you using these methods to information that you provide us and any other information that we collect about you in accordance with this Policy.

  • Web Beacons. Web beacons are electronic images we may use on our websites or in our emails to deliver cookies, count visits and understand usage and campaign effectiveness, such as whether you open and act on an email that we send you.
  • Cookies. Cookies are small data files stored on your hard drive by a website. Among other things, cookies help us improve your experience using our websites and Services. We use cookies to see which areas of our websites and which features are popular and to count visits to our websites. We also use information gathered from cookies to customise content and target our advertising. To learn more about how to manage your privacy and storage settings for cookies, click on the links below.

For the United States: http://www.allaboutcookies.org/
For the EU:http://www.youronlinechoices.com/

  • Local Shared Objects ("Flash Cookies"). We use local shared objects, also known as "Flash Cookies”, to store your preferences, such as volume control, or to display content based upon what you view on our websites in order to personalise your visit. Flash Cookies are different from other cookies because of the amount and type of data collected, and the way in which data is stored. To learn more about the privacy and storage settings for Flash Cookies, click on the links below.

For the United States: http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager.html#117118
For the EU: http://www.youronlinechoices.com/

  • Usage Data and Error Reporting. In addition to the information we automatically collect, as described above, we may collect more detailed de-identified data about your device usage and error report data about your device (formerly called Tell HTC Experience and Tell HTC Error Report on older devices). When you participate in these programmes, you help us to understand how you use your device and improve HTC devices and other HTC and trusted partner products and services. HTC may re-identify this data when appropriate; for example, when you request technical support, choose to use a specific HTC service or app, or create an HTC Account. To learn more about usage and error reporting on your device, and/or to change your option to participate, go to “Settings” on your device. Usage and error data settings will not affect HTC’s collection of de-identified activation data or data about specific HTC apps and services you choose to use, including HTC Account, and are otherwise subject to limitations described in this Policy.

Others, including third party analytics service providers and third party ad service providers, as described in the section below, may also automatically collect the same or similar information about you and your device when you use the Services, including personally identifiable information about your online activities over time and across third party website and applications.

3. INFORMATION COLLECTED THROUGH ADVERTISING

We may use third-party ad service providers to serve ads in our Services. We may also use third parties to deliver or help us deliver HTC-branded ads to you on third-party websites. To deliver these ads, third parties automatically collect certain information about you and your devices and your use of the Services. This information may include visits to the websites and applications of HTC and others, your IP address, your Internet service provider, and the browser that you use to visit our website.

Third parties may collect information by using cookies (including Flash Cookies), web beacons, device identifiers or other technologies. These third parties may use information collected about you for their own purposes and those of other third parties to deliver advertising targeted to your interests and to understand the usage and visitation to the websites and applications of HTC and others. This Policy does not apply to, and we are not responsible for, cookies or web beacons used or hosted by third parties. We encourage you to check the privacy policies of these third parties and advertisers to learn about their use of cookies and other technology. If you want more information about the practices of many of our common ad services, click here: http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/

4. USE OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

HTC may use your information, including personal information, to:

  • operate and improve our websites, products, Services and marketing;
  • provide you with a personalised and customised experience, content, marketing and recommendations across all our Services;
  • respond to your comments and questions and provide customer service;
  • provide and deliver products and Services that you request;
  • send you information related to your requests and purchases, including confirmations, invoices, technical notices, updates, security alerts and support and administrative messages;
  • communicate with you about contests, promotions, rewards, upcoming events and news about products and services offered by HTC and our selected partners (we do this as per your choices, as outlined by our policies) and to process and deliver contest entries and rewards;
  • link or combine your personal information with other information we get about your use of other HTC Services and from third parties for the purposes that we disclose in this policy, including to help understand you and your needs, and provide you with recommendations, better service and customised marketing;
  • protect, investigate and deter against fraudulent, unauthorised or illegal activity;
  • filter the content to be displayed as part of the Services;
  • compile usage and other statistics and insights relating to the Services; and
  • facilitate sharing of information and content that you upload via social media.

5. MORE ABOUT LOCATION DATA

When you use certain Services, we may collect, process, store and share your precise location data. This location information may include real-time geographic location of your device. It may also include the names of places that you have been, where you choose to “check-in”, to determine, log or share your location, places that you mark on a map, the geographic location, dates and other metadata of photos that you’ve taken, routes that you have travelled, how close you are to other devices, such as Bluetooth-enabled devices, Wi-Fi routers and services that use those devices (such as a store’s tracking of your movement for data collection and marketing purposes) and the dates and times that you were at certain locations. HTC may share your location data with application providers who show that they have the right permissions. HTC may associate location data with personally identifiable or identifying information, such as your device ID and your account information. Our Services may also collect precise location data in a de-identified form, and we may share this data with partners and carriers to improve features and services.

6. SHARING OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

INFORMATION YOU SHARE

The Services may allow you to connect and share your actions, comments, content and information publicly or with people you specify. You may also connect to, and share your information on, third-party social media platforms, websites, applications and services (“Third Party Sharing Services”) through “plug-ins,” widgets, buttons, and other third party features made available on and connected with our Services. Please be mindful of your own privacy needs as you choose who to connect with and what to share and make public. We cannot control the privacy or security of information that you choose to make public or share with others. We also cannot control and are not responsible for any Third-Party Sharing Services or their actions, including the data that these Third-Party Sharing Services collect from you and your device, or how they use such data. Please review the privacy policies of all Third-Party Sharing Services to understand their privacy practices.

INFORMATION WE SHARE

We may share your personal information as follows:

  • With your consent. For example, you may let us share your personal information with our partners on a co-branded website, or you may use the Services to connect to our partners’ services or to request information from them. Our partners’ use of your personal information will be subject to their privacy policies.
  • For the purposes of a business deal (or negotiation of a business deal) involving sale or transfer of all or a part of our business or assets. Business deals may include any merger, financing, acquisition or bankruptcy transaction or proceeding.
  • For legal, protection, security and safety purposes, including:
    • to comply with laws or regulatory requirements and to respond to lawful requests and legal processes;
    • to protect the rights and property of HTC, our agents, customers and others, including enforcing our agreements, policies and terms of use and protecting our network and physical assets; and/or
    • in an emergency, including protecting the safety of our employees and agents, our customers or any other person.
  • With those who use the information to provide services to us or on our behalf.
  • With wireless carriers. Their use of your information is subject to their privacy policies.
  • We may share aggregated and de-identified data with others for any purpose.

7. WHERE WE STORE YOUR INFORMATION; TRANSFER OF YOUR INFORMATION; RETENTION

Information that we collect may be stored on your phone or stored on our servers and transferred to, stored and processed in the United States, Taiwan, Singapore, EU member state countries and any other country where HTC or its service providers maintain facilities, including jurisdictions that may not have data privacy laws that provide protections equivalent to those provided in your home country. However, we will protect all personal information that we obtain in accordance with this Policy. By using the Services, you consent to our transfer of your personal information in accordance with this Policy. Personal information that we collect may be retained for as long as needed to fulfil the purposes outlined in the “USE OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION” section above, or for a period of time specifically required by applicable regulations or laws.

8. INFORMATION CHOICES AND CHANGEs

Our marketing emails tell you how to “opt out” of receiving further marketing emails. If you opt out, we may still send you non-marketing emails. Non-marketing emails include emails about your accounts and our business dealings with you, and may include a request that you participate in surveys related to your use of, and satisfaction with, the Services. 

You may send requests about your personal information to us through our contact information below. You can request to change contact choices or marketing choices and to update, access, delete or make other changes regarding your personal information or content that you post on the Services. We may not honour all such requests unless required by law.

When you use our Services, we and third parties may give you choices about use of certain mechanisms for tracking, including tracking of your online activities over time and across different websites, applications and online services. We may provide settings on your device that allow you to change how we, and others, collect certain information about you. Read your product manual for more information about settings on your device. Many browsers are set to accept cookies unless and until you change your settings.
Removing or rejecting our cookies could affect how our websites and Services work for you and could delete or disable opt-out cookies set by us and third parties.

Some of our third party ad service providers also provide choices for use of cookies to deliver ads tailored to your profile and preferences. To learn more visit:
http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/
http://www.adobe.com/privacy/opt-out.html#measure

While we and others give you certain choices, as further outlined in this Policy, there are many ways in which Web browser signals and similar mechanisms can indicate your choice to disable tracking, and we may not be aware of nor honour every such mechanism.

9. SECURITY OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

We strive to protect personal information by taking appropriate physical, technical and organisational measures to help guard against unauthorised or unlawful access, use, processing or alteration of the personal information that we obtain from you through our Services and against any breaches or loss of such personal information. Although we take steps to use and improve various safeguards, no system or technology is completely secure. If you become aware of a technical vulnerability affecting HTC Services, please email security@htc.com or visit this website to report it. If you have a concern related to the protection of personal information or this Policy, please send an email to Global-Privacy@htc.com.

HTC Account lets you use a single user name and password to log on to HTCSense.com and other HTC applications and Services. Some HTC applications and Services require a different user name and password. Please protect your user names and passwords to help prevent anyone from accessing your accounts and your personal information.

We are not responsible for the security of any independent third-party applications and services or the data those third-party applications and services may collect about you. Please ask those third parties how they keep your data safe.

10. CONTACT INFORMATION

We welcome your comments or questions about this Policy. Please email us at global-privacy@htc.com. You may also contact us in writing at the addresses listed below:

Americas:
HTC America, Inc.
308 Occidental Ave. South, Suite 300
Seattle, WA 98104

APAC:
HTC Corporation
23 Xinghua Road,br/> Taoyuan District,br/> Taoyuan City 330, Taiwan
Company registration number: 16003518
Attention: Privacy Administrator

EU:
HTC Europe Co. Ltd
Salamanca, Wellington Street
Slough, Berkshire SL1 1YP, U.K.
Company registration number: 04826012
Attention: Privacy Administrator

(HTC Europe Co. Ltd is the nominated representative of HTC Corporation for the EU.)

11. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We may make changes to this Policy. If we make any changes to the Policy they will be posted on this page and we will change the “Last Updated” date below.

THIS PRIVACY POLICY WAS LAST UPDATED ON September 29,2014.