Privacy Policy

Protecting privacy on the Internet is crucial to Internet-based business and the Internet economy. BC Colleges has created this privacy statement to demonstrate our commitment to the individual’s right to privacy. This Privacy Statement covers personal information, non-personal data collection and aggregate reporting.

This Privacy Statement applies to all BC Colleges owned websites and domains. We bind our employees to observe your privacy and confidentiality rights.

Links to non-BC Colleges’ websites

BC Colleges’ websites may provide links to third-party websites for your convenience and information. If you access those links, you will leave the BC Colleges website. BC Colleges does not control those sites or their privacy practices, which may differ from BC Colleges. We do not endorse or make any representations about third-party websites. The BC Colleges Privacy Statement does not cover the personal data you choose to give to unrelated third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any company before submitting your personal information.

Consent

By using this Web site, you consent to the collection and use of information as described here. If we decide to make changes to this privacy policy, we will post the changes on this page so that you will always know what information we collect, and how we use it.

Use and Purpose of Collected Personal Data

On our Web sites, we only store personal information relating to you with your permission. You may choose to reveal information to us if, for example, you register, or complete a survey. BC Colleges may use the information in connection with processing your inquiries or to help improve our communication.

We would only share such information with third parties outside BC Colleges with your express permission or as required by the applicable law. Information is used solely for the purposes described below.

What Information Do We Collect and Why?

IP Addresses

We use IP addresses to help diagnose problems, to administer our Web site, and to gather demographic information. When you visit our site, we recognize only your domain name and not your e-mail address. We will see your e-mail address only if you give it to us by filling out a form or by sending us an e-mail message.

Cookies

We use cookies to determine usage patterns of our web site. A “cookie” is a small data file transferred by a website to your computer’s hard drive. BC Colleges sends cookies when you surf our site. Accepting the cookies used on our site does not give us access to your personal information, but we may use the cookies to identify your computer.

Cookies are typically classified as either “session” cookies or “permanent” cookies.

• “Session” cookies do not stay on your computer after you leave our website or close your browser. The aggregate information collected permits us to analyze traffic patterns on our site. This can enable us over time to provide a better experience on our site by improving content or personalization and making our site easier to use.
• “Permanent” cookies are those that remain on your computer. They are used to facilitate shopping, personalization and registration services. For example, cookies can keep track of what you have selected to purchase as you continue to shop and allow you to enter your password only once on Web pages where a login is required. The user can manually remove “Permanent” cookies.

Most browsers automatically accept cookies by default, but you can usually refuse cookies or selectively accept certain cookies by adjusting the preferences in your browser. If you turn off cookies, there may be some features of our site that will not be available to you and some Web pages may not display properly. You can find information on popular browsers and how to adjust your cookie preferences at the following websites:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer: http://www.microsoft.com/info/cookies.htm
• Netscape Navigator: http://www.netscape.com/legal_notices/cookies.html

User Registration

If you choose to register, we can send you the requested information. If you choose to receive more information, we will send only the information, or news you choose.

E-mail Addresses

If you choose to give us your e-mail address, we will communicate with you via e-mail. We do not share your e-mail address with others outside BC Colleges. You can choose not to receive any more e-mail at any time.

Depending on how your e-mail application is set up, information about you may be transmitted automatically when you send e-mail to BC Colleges.

If you choose to register for third-party services, we may need to send some information from your BC Colleges registration to the service provider, possibly including your e-mail address — but only if your requested service cannot be provided otherwise.

Choice/Opt-Out

You can opt out of receiving e-mail communications from us whenever you like. You only need to e-mail us to have your name and details removed from BC Colleges’ e-mail list or registration database. All list-based communications from BC Colleges include a record of the subscribed address and provide a link to opt out.

Inquiries

If you have any questions about this privacy statement — if, for example, you wish to inspect or update the information we hold about you — feel free to contact:

Privacy Officer
101-1124 Fort Street
Victoria, BC V8V 3K8
Tel. 250-595-4866