Privacy Policy

TalkAbroad, Inc’s (together with its affiliated companies, whether now or in future existing, "we," "us" or the “Company”) general policy is to respect and protect our Users’ privacy. This document (the “Privacy Policy”) will explain what types of User information we collect, and under what circumstances we may disclose or share this information with third parties. By using Company’s Service, you consent to our use of information which is collected or submitted in connection with the Service, all as described in this Privacy Policy. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the same meaning given them in the TalkAbroad, INC Terms & Conditions of Use (“Terms of Use”).

This Privacy Policy may change

Company may update or modify this Privacy Policy and/or the Terms of Use from time to time. Company will alert users to any material changes to this Privacy Policy and/or the Terms of Use and continued use following any such alert constitutes your consent and agreement to follow and be bound by the new Privacy Policy and/or Terms of Use as modified. You should review this Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use from time to time. You can view the current Terms of Use and Privacy Policy in effect at any time at: http://www.talkabroad.com/terms.

What types of User information do we collect?

Information which you give us directly

We receive and may indefinitely store any information which you post to the Service or provide to Company in any other way. For example, we collect information which you provide when you register with us, modify your account, upload or participate in creation of User Material of certain kinds, contact us by telephone or email, submit an order, provide a payment, address messages to contacts in your address book for transmission via the Service, etc. This information may include, but is in no way limited to, your name, physical address, a valid email address, telephone number, credit card number, geographic location, etc.

Information which is automatically collected by our deployed technology

We also receive and may indefinitely store certain types of information automatically whenever you interact with the Service. For example, we use log data and electronic "cookies" like many other internet-based companies. Log data is automatically reported whenever you access the Service. This log data may include information such as the type of browser, other application and/or device you are using, which pages of the Service that you visit and how long you spend on each page, the number of times you accessed the Service, and other statistics. Cookies are small data files, alphanumeric identifiers which are automatically transferred to your computer's hard drive when you log into the Service, and may store certain types of personally identifiable information between visits, to identify you and your preferences (and possibly even to provide you with tailored content) when you interact with the Service. We may also adopt newer technologies (including by way of example only, and not of limitation, HTML 5 local storage) from time to time. You may disable acceptance of cookies by changing your browser settings, but doing so may have a negative impact on your experience in interacting with the Service, and may even result in certain aspects of the Service being unavailable to you.

Information provided by third parties

We may also receive and indefinitely store certain categories of information provided by third parties (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, bank accounts, credit card accounts, etc.) with whom you interact through the Service and/or have an independent relationship. You may even be able to connect or "link" your account with the Service to certain of these third party accounts/services (“Third Party Services”). In so doing, please be aware that you are consenting to release of a more or less continuous stream of information about you (in accordance with your privacy settings on those Third Party Services). If you do not want information about you, including personally identifiable information, to be shared in this manner, then do not use this feature. You may disconnect/unlink your account with the Service from a Third Party Service at any time.

Note regarding children’s privacy

We are committed to protecting children's privacy on the Internet and comply fully with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). We do not knowingly allow individuals under the age of thirteen (13) to use or otherwise access the Service, and require that individuals under the age of eighteen (18) do so only with the consent of their parent or legal guardian. If a minor under the age of thirteen (13) has provided us with personally identifiable information, we ask that a parent or legal guardian contact Company at support@talkabroad.com and we will take appropriate action, up to and including deleting this information from our files. Parents, legal guardians, or students who have reached 18 years of age may review the student’s education records and correct erroneous information. To review or update your information to ensure its accuracy or to correct any errors and omissions, please contact Company at support@talkabroad.com.

Note regarding Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Student Records are the property of our Customers. We receive user information solely for the purposes of delivering and supporting our products, services and commitments. We are committed to working with our Customers to comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations governing the use and protection of Student Records, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. §1232g and its implementing regulations, and applicable state laws and statutes governing Student Records. To review or update your information to ensure its accuracy or to correct any errors and omissions, please contact Company at support@talkabroad.com.

Data retention

Company will retain your personal information for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy and our service.

Under what circumstances does our website share information it receives?

Other affiliated companies

We may share information collected through the Service, including personally identifiable information, with other of our affiliated companies, as we may find necessary or appropriate from time to time in our sole business judgment.

Third party individuals and organizations

Except as you may authorize from time to time during your use of the Service, or as we believe may be reasonably necessary in order for us to provide or improve the Service (see e.g. “Third Party Hosting and Storage” immediately below) and to comply with your Service instructions, we will not disclose or share your personally identifiable information with third party individuals or organizations, whether by way of sale, license or otherwise. Company will only contract with third parties that adhere to the same principles as those expressed in this Privacy Policy.

THIRD PARTY HOSTING, SERVING AND STORAGE

COMPANY MAY CONTRACT WITH THIRD PARTY SUPPLIERS/VENDORS FROM TIME TO TIME, TO PROVIDE FOR COMPANY’S HOSTING, SERVING STORAGE AND TELECOMMUNICATION NEEDS, ETC., INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION STORAGE OF OUR USERS’ PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION. COMPANY SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE, AND HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL RESPONSIBILITY AND LIABILITY, FOR CULPABLE (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION NEGLIGENT) ACTS OR OMISSIONS BY ITS THIRD PARTY SUPPLIERS/VENDORS.

Aggregate/anonymous information

We may use our Users’ personally identifiable information as raw source data, either standing alone or in combination with other aggregate/anonymous and/or personally identifiable information available from other sources, to compile and derive various aggregate/anonymous statistics (“Aggregate Information”). Such Aggregate Information will under no circumstances include or disclose the personally identifiable information of any User. You understand and agree that we may use the Aggregate Information for any legal purpose, which includes but is not limited to promotional efforts, site usage analysis, and improvement of the Service, as well as disclosure, sharing, licensing and/or sale of the Aggregate Information to third party individuals and/or organizations, etc.

Protection of our business and of others

We may use or disclose information you provide to us, including personally identifiable information, if we believe such use or disclosure is necessary or appropriate (i) to comply with applicable law, including without limitation an order issued by a court or other tribunal of competent jurisdiction, (ii) to enforce our rights, including without limitation those rights which we have under this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Use, or (iii) to protect the safety of the Service, our Users, Partners, suppliers, other third parties, or the public at large.

Business transfer

If some or all of our business assets involving the Service were ever sold or transferred, we would in most cases transfer any corresponding information regarding prior and current Users, including personally identifiable information, in connection with the transfer, in addition to retaining a copy of the information so transferred. In such an event, if a future Privacy Policy does not comply with the principles outlined in the Company Privacy Policy, you will have the choice to withhold the transfer of personal information.

E–mails

If you provide our website with your e-mail address, you may receive e-mails from us, either on our own behalf or on behalf of our Partners or other third parties whose products and/or services we feel may be of interest to you. You can discontinue these e-mails at any time by either (i) clicking on the “unsubscribe” link within an e-mail you have received, if such a link is provided, or (ii) emailing your request to unsubscribe to subscriptions@talkabroad.com. Please allow an appropriate amount of time for us to process your request and to update our internal records. You may still receive e-mails from other of Company’s affiliated companies, Partners and other third parties if they received your contact information from us in compliance with this Privacy Policy, from other sources, or as a result of their independent interactions with you.

Security

We use industry-standard security protocols, including but not limited to Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS), to protect the integrity and security of our Users’ personally identifiable information and other information as it is transmitted to us (and as the Service further transmits it to third party APIs). However, while we strive to protect your personally identifiable information and privacy, we cannot guarantee the security of any information which you disclose to us, and all such disclosures are at your own risk.

Links to other sites

While using the Service, you may be linked or referred to other sites over which we have no control, and for which we bear no responsibility. For example, if you "click" on banner advertisements, buttons or other links from the Service, you may be transferred to other Internet locations which are neither owned nor controlled by Company. These other Internet locations may maintain their own cookies regarding their visitors, and may collect data and/or solicit personally identifiable information in accordance with their own policies. Please exercise appropriate care when using the Service.

To contact us

If you have any questions or comments about the Service or related policies, you may contact us at support@talkabroad.com.