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Our Commitment to Protecting Your Privacy
At MiddleOak®, your privacy has always been important to us. We understand how important your privacy is to you, and we believe protecting your confidential information is a fundamental part of doing business. That's why at MiddleOak we take steps to ensure:
- We will restrict our employees' access to your information to only those who need to know information to provide products or services to you and for other reasons permitted by law.
- Reasonable and appropriate safeguards are employed to protect your confidential information.
- We will only share your information with non-affiliated third parties for marketing products that might be of interest to you, if you have not opted out of such sharing.
Categories of Information We Collect
This Privacy Policy governs your use of our website. In an effort to provide the highest quality client service and to help ensure we are meeting your insurance and financial services needs, we may collect certain information about you through our website. The information we gather about you may include information:
- From You: We may ask for your name, address, birthdate or age, Social Security Number, gender, marital status, telephone number, email address, driver's license number, bank account or credit card information, accident and moving violation history, lien or lease holders information, college or school information, information related to your mobile device or mobile device carrier, other identifiers that permit physical or online contacting, and other personally identifiable information in combination with one or more identifiers mentioned above. However, when you visit our website, you control the nonpublic personal information provided to us.
- From Your Computer or Hand Held Device: We may use your Internet Protocol (IP) address to determine your geographical location and enhance your online experience. This information can be used in aggregate to generate reports on how visitors find and use our website, and other information.
From everyone who visits our website, we also collect:
- Type of web browser
- Type of device
- Computer operating system
- Internet service provider
- Identification of any referring website
- Areas visited within the website
- Date, time, and length of access
This information does not provide any personal information, but is tied to a cookie that identifies your machine as a unique visitor. Cookies are described in greater detail below.
How We Share Your Information
MiddleOak considers the types of information listed above to be confidential. However, from time to time and as allowed by law we may share that information:
- Within our family of affiliated companies and with our business partners for everyday business purposes such as to service your transactions, fulfill your claims, and maintain your account(s). For example, we may provide your name, address, phone number, and certain claims information to a service provider for the purposes of servicing your claim.
- As required or permitted by law to others, such as in response to court orders and legal investigations, or to consumer reporting agencies. Information sharing is limited to only that permitted or required by law.
- Within our family of affiliated companies, or with your Agent representative, to provide you with outstanding products and services. For example, we may share information to provide better service to you in presenting products and services that meet your needs.
- With companies that perform marketing services on our behalf. If we have joint marketing agreements, we may share information to offer financial products that might be of interest to you. We would limit the information shared to that which is needed to perform the transaction, such as name and address for a mailing.
- With non-affiliates to market products that may benefit you or help you manage and protect your financial security.
How We Obtain Information From Your Online Use
- MiddleOak uses Internet cookies, analytics or other technologies to help provide you with an enhanced online experience. Cookies are small text files sent to your browser from our web server.
- MiddleOak collects statistical information to determine how users are using our website. We use this information to evaluate the usage of our website and to develop and improve our website content and functionality.
Cookies do not provide your name, address, email address or other personally identifiable information. We may link non-personally identifiable information that we collect with personally identifiable information that you provide to us through the use of our website.
How Your Information Is Used
MiddleOak wants your online experience to be the best it can be. Our main purpose for collecting information is to provide you with outstanding products and services. For instance, we may use the information to provide quotes or cost comparisons, answer your questions or concerns and provide you information in a timely manner. We also may use this information to contact you about other products and services from us or our affiliates, in which you might be interested. By learning more about you, we can deliver more relevant information about products and improve our customer service.
We may use general geographic location information and information about your Internet carrier, as well as information you provide us, to improve and customize our website's content, layout, and services. For instance, if you provide us with your age and/or gender, we may place a cookie on your machine and on your next visit, personalize the message displayed.
If you login to the secured portions of our website, we use a cookie for session management. This helps us to avoid asking you to login again as you move from page to page.
Currently, MiddleOak does not support the necessary technology to respond to “do not track” signals provided by major browsers, which are designed to provide you options regarding the collection of personally identifiable information about your online activities over time and across different websites or online services. We do not allow our business partners to collect your personally identifiable information for their own marketing purposes when you use our website.
How We Protect Your Information
MiddleOak is concerned about safeguarding the confidentiality of your information. We use physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to help protect your confidential information that we process and maintain.
Our operational and data processing systems are contained in a secure environment and that environment is access-controlled.
To secure sensitive communications between your computer and our web servers, we have implemented Entrust.net digital certificates and enabled strong, RSA1024-bit, encryption. We use the secure sockets layer (SSL) security protocol to protect all exchanges of information via our web pages that are considered private or confidential.
We use various authentication technologies, including passwords, to authenticate visitors to the portions of our website that may allow access to confidential information. We have implemented other security controls such as firewalls, intrusion detection and intrusion prevention to protect our systems and networks and your confidential information. Our security systems constantly monitor the web server to help ensure your accounts are safe and secure.
We consider the security of your information a priority. Please be aware that, although we endeavor to provide reasonable security for information we process and maintain, no security system can prevent all potential security threats.
Data Retention Policy, Managing Your Information
MiddleOak may collect user provided data from your use of our website (“User Provided Data”) and retain this data for a reasonable time thereafter. If you'd like us to correct User Provided Data, please call us at 1-800-622-3780 and we will respond in a reasonable time. Please note that some or all User Provided Data may be required to be retained by law.
Children
We do not use our website to knowingly solicit data from children under the age of 13. For more information about children's privacy and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), please visit the Federal Trade Commission website at www.ftc.gov.
If you are a minor under the age of 18 and you have directly posted content on our website which you would like to have deleted or hidden, please call us at 1-800-622-3780. We will respond to your request within a reasonable time and will take steps to ensure that content is either deleted or hidden. Please be aware that certain information may need to remain on our servers, as we may be required to retain certain information by law or where the information may have been provided by persons other than you.
Email
Email messages without encryption are not secure. We are not responsible for the security or confidentiality of communications sent to us via unencrypted Internet email messages. Unencrypted email messages traveling through the Internet are potentially subject to viewing, alteration and copying by anyone on the Internet. Be cautious when submitting personal or financial information via unencrypted email. Send confidential information through encrypted email or the U.S. Postal Service, or use the telephone to speak directly to our employees.
Internet Fraud
MiddleOak wants to protect clients by warning them about a growing form of Internet fraud called “phishing.” Fake email messages are disguised to look like requests from real businesses. These emails request private information. The information is then used to access financial records and steal identities. Be cautious when receiving emails from unknown or suspicious sources. If you receive an email message prompting you to login to read a message and you did not request any information, do not reply or click on the link, and contact us at 1-800-622-3780 immediately.
Changes to this Privacy & Security Statement
Since Internet technology is quickly evolving, MiddleOak may make changes to this Privacy & Security Statement from time to time. We reserve the right to modify or amend this Privacy & Security Statement. When we make a change to this Privacy & Security Statement, we will post a new Privacy & Security Statement on our website. It is your obligation to periodically review this Privacy & Security Statement. You may also request a copy of this Privacy & Security Statement at any time.
Opt-In (Acceptance)
By using our website, you consent to our processing of User Provided Data and automatically collected information as described in this Privacy & Security Statement now and as amended by us. “Processing” means using cookies on a computer/hand held device or using or touching information in any way, including, but not limited to, collecting, storing, deleting, using, combining and disclosing information, all of which activities will take place in the United States. If you reside outside the U.S., your information will be transferred to the U.S. and processed and stored there under applicable U.S. privacy standards. By using our website and providing information to us, you consent to such transfer to, and processing in, the U.S.
Termination of Relationship
In the future if you terminate your relationship with MiddleOak, we will adhere to the privacy policies and practices described in this Privacy & Security Statement as amended from time to time.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about privacy while using our website, or have questions about our practices, please contact or call us at 1-800-622-3780.
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